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Walden UniversityScholarWorks
Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral StudiesCollection
2018
Sustaining a Family Business Beyond the SecondGenerationDonna Wells AustinWalden University
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Walden University
College of Management and Technology
This is to certify that the doctoral study by
Donna W. Austin
has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects,
and that any and all revisions required by
the review committee have been made.
Review Committee
Dr. Scott Burrus, Committee Chairperson, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty
Dr. Annie Brown, Committee Member, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty
Dr. Denise Gandy, University Reviewer, Doctor of Business Administration Faculty
Chief Academic Officer
Eric Riedel, Ph.D.
Walden University
2018
Abstract
Sustaining a Family Business Beyond the Second Generation
by
Donna W. Austin
MS, Catholic University of America, 2015
BS, Virginia State University, 1997
Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Business Administration
Walden University
December 2018
Abstract
A significant number of funeral homes in the United States are family-owned businesses.
These family-owned funeral businesses contribute to society throughout generations to
create wealth, provide employment opportunities, and serve the communities that
surround them. The purpose of this descriptive multiple case study was to explore
strategies that leaders of family-owned funeral business owners in the eastern region of
the United States used for intergenerational succession planning. Game theory was the
conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews
with 3 family business owners and review of the family businesses' professional
association websites and family historical documents. Yin’s 5-step process served as a
guide for analyzing data. Data analysis revealed 6 themes: family succession values, the
game, the players, strategies, payoff and rewards, and the outcome. Implications of this
study for social change include family business owners’ enhanced awareness of
successful strategies, which may improve business continuity leading to an increased rate
of intergenerational transitions within the funeral industry.
Sustaining a Family Business Beyond the Second Generation
by
Donna W. Austin
MS, Catholic University of America, 2015
BS, Virginia State University, 1997
Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Business Administration
Walden University
December 2018
Dedication
I would like to dedicate this study to my father, Donald R. Wells Sr., who is no
longer here to see me attain such a great accomplishment. My father was a Viet Nam
veteran and hero that survived the war but lost the battle to cancer in 2016. I miss him
every day. To my grandchildren, hopefully, each one will be inspired in becoming a
scholar one day making a significant contribution to our great society.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Scott Burrus, Dr. Denise
Hackett, and Dr. Ann Brown for their advice and feedback. Their support has been
instrumental in this accomplishment. Many thanks to Dr. Vaughn Cooper, Dr. Lissa
Kleuter, and Dr. Sharita Jacobs Thompson for allowing me to interrupt their busy
schedules during work hours as I solicited feedback and advice through this doctoral
journey. Most of all I would like to thank my significant other, Rick Lee for his patience
and support throughout these last few years.
i
Table of Contents
List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... iv
Section 1: Foundation of the Study ......................................................................................1
Background of the Problem ...........................................................................................1
Problem Statement .........................................................................................................2
Purpose Statement ..........................................................................................................3
Nature of the Study ........................................................................................................3
Research Question..........................................................................................................5
Interview Questions .......................................................................................................6
Conceptual Framework ..................................................................................................6
Operational Definitions ..................................................................................................7
Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations ................................................................9
Assumptions ............................................................................................................ 9
Limitations ............................................................................................................ 10
Delimitations ......................................................................................................... 10
Significance of the Study .............................................................................................11
Contribution to Business Practice ......................................................................... 11
Implications for Social Change ............................................................................. 12
A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature ..............................................12
Literature Research Strategy ................................................................................. 15
Conceptual Relevance of Game Theory ............................................................... 17
Family Business Defined ...................................................................................... 25
ii
Succession Plan ..................................................................................................... 28
Obstacles to Succession ........................................................................................ 38
The Role of the Incumbent.................................................................................... 41
The Successor’s Role ............................................................................................ 45
Succession Strategies ............................................................................................ 48
Family-Owned Funeral Business .......................................................................... 56
Finding the Lifeline............................................................................................... 59
Summary ............................................................................................................... 75
Transition .....................................................................................................................77
Section 2: The Project ........................................................................................................79
Purpose Statement ........................................................................................................79
Role of the Researcher .................................................................................................80
Participants ...................................................................................................................85
Research Method and Design ......................................................................................87
Research Method................................................................................................... 87
Research Design.................................................................................................... 89
Population and Sampling .............................................................................................92
Ethical Research...........................................................................................................95
Data Collection Instruments.........................................................................................97
Data Collection Technique.........................................................................................100
Data Organization Technique ....................................................................................102
Data Analysis .............................................................................................................104
iii
Reliability and Validity ..............................................................................................106
Reliability ............................................................................................................ 106
Validity ............................................................................................................... 107
Transition and Summary ............................................................................................109
Introduction ................................................................................................................111
Presentation of the Findings.......................................................................................113
Theme 1: Family Succession Values .................................................................. 117
Theme 2: The Game............................................................................................ 123
Theme 3: The Players ......................................................................................... 128
Theme 4: The Strategies ..................................................................................... 129
Theme 5: The Payoff/Reward ............................................................................. 133
Theme 6: The Outcome....................................................................................... 135
Applications to Professional Practice ........................................................................136
Implications for Social Change ..................................................................................137
Recommendations for Action ....................................................................................139
Recommendations for Further Research ....................................................................141
Reflections .................................................................................................................143
Conclusion .................................................................................................................145
References ........................................................................................................................148
Appendix A: Interview Protocol ................................................................................204
iv
List of Tables
Table 1. Summary of References ...................................................................................... 16
Table 2. Participant Demographics ................................................................................. 117
Table 3. Emergent Strategies .......................................................................................... 131
1
Section 1: Foundation of the Study
According to the Small Business Administration (SBA), a small business employs
fewer than 20 employees (SBA, 2016), while the family-owned business involves at least
two generations of a family who have had a similar influence on company policy and the
interests and objectives of the family (Cater, Kidwell, & Camp, 2016). The probability of
a family-owned business failure is exceptionally high during succession (De Massis &
Kotlar, 2014).
Succession planning is a critical issue that researchers in the field of family
businesses have extensively studied (Benavides-Velsaco, Quintana-García, & Guzmán-
Parra, 2013). In an attempt to understand succession strategies, the study was aimed to
examine successful strategies within family-owned businesses in the funeral industry;
those businesses had accomplished a successful succession beyond the first generation of
owners. The goal of this qualitative multiple case study is to bring awareness to social
changes that may be necessary to improve succession rates for the family-owned funeral
business.
Background of the Problem
The purpose of succession planning is to understand succession regarding finding
and developing principal successors to ensure the growth and sustainability of small
businesses (Sambrook, 2005). The family business community accounts for over 50% of
employment in the private sector and employs millions of people (SBA, 2016).
According to Hiebl (2013), most senior family members who manage family-owned
2
businesses would like to sustain the family business over the long-term for the next
generation.
Succession planning is necessary because the process helps diminish some of the
conflicts that may occur in the family and the business before and during the transition of
ownership and management from one generation to another (Betancourt, Ramirez, &
Vergara, 2015). Family business impacts the local and national economies, which can
present a unique set of challenges (Neubauer & Lank, 2016). Researchers suggested only
one out of three family businesses survive from the first generation to the next; moreover,
only 10% of family businesses successfully transition to a third generation (Braun,
Latham, & Porschitz, 2016; Filser, Kraus, & Märk, 2013).
Studying succession processes after the second generation might provide an
opportunity to understand the influence of complex issues related to intergenerational
succession decreases (Lansberg & Gersick, 2015). Business continuity is a significant
factor for family businesses; therefore, a business owner should see the value in
succession planning (Sarbah & Xiao, 2015). The primary objective was to identify a
conceptual framework and relevant strategies that resulted in successful succession
planning for the family-owned business.
Problem Statement
Family-owned funeral businesses contribute to the nation’s economy; however,
like many family-owned businesses, they face continuity challenges because of changes
in goals, attitudes, identity, behavioral routines, and informal networks (Marler, Botero,
3
& De Massis, 2017). The success rate of family-owned businesses in the U.S. is
approximately 80%, but only 24-30% of the first generation continues to the next
generation (Duh, 2015). The general business problem was that the succession rate of
family-owned businesses decreased with each generation, with the specific business
problem being that some family-owned funeral business owners lacked strategies for
intergenerational succession planning.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies
successful family-owned funeral business owners used for intergenerational succession
planning. Small business funeral homes provide 86% of funeral business in the United
States, while 14% of funeral business is corporate-owned (National Funeral Directors
Association [NFDA], 2017). The population consisted of three successful funeral home
business owners within the Eastern U. S. having transitioned beyond two or more
generations. The implications for social change might serve incumbent similar business
owners by gaining new knowledge in succession strategies in planning for generational
sustainability benefiting their communities through needed services and employment.
Nature of the Study
The goal of the researcher was to gain an understanding of the problem using a
qualitative case study. A qualitative method was appropriate for this study because family
business research involved interactions of subjects in everyday life and experiences. De
Massis, Sharma, Chua, Chrisman, and Kotlar (2012) argued family business researchers
4
recommended the qualitative method as a valuable method because family business is a
complex phenomenon.
A quantitative design is an empirical research methodology in which data are in
numerical form (Punch, 2014). The nature of this study was exploratory and not causally
driven; therefore, a quantitative approach was not appropriate for this study. Using a
mixed method design was not appropriate for this study because it might introduce a level
of complexity added by structured and unstructured data, requiring a mix of open and
closed-ended questions to collect information. These data could lead to ambiguity in
responses and may often be time-consuming to analyze (Zohrabi, 2013).
Ethnographic, phenomenological, or narrative designs were possible choices for
this study. Ethnographic focuses on cultural aspects from the participants’ perspective,
which may increase a threat to the credibility (Hammersley, 2016; Pelto, 2016). The
ethnographic research design was not appropriate because it might require extended
observations and immersions; these issues could limit the diversity of business owners
who participated.
A phenomenological design was an idea or concept familiar to a small group of
individuals, a minimum of three to 15. However, the phenomenological concept is used
to discover and identify the meaning of participants’ experiences with a specific
phenomenon (Andrews, Squire, & Tamboukou, 2013; Smith, 2015; Tuohy, Cooney,
Dowling, Murphy, & Sixsmith, 2013). Although the phenomenological approach focuses
5
on the lived experience of people, this design is relatively broad (Marshall & Rossman,
2014); therefore, this approach was not feasible for this study.
Narrative research could be either a research design or an area of study (Andrews
et al., 2013; Goodson, Loveless, & Stephens, 2013; Lewis, 2015). As a research design, a
narrative research is appropriate for studying experiences through the expressed stories of
individuals. The narrative approach would include the tone of voice, pauses, laughter, eye
movement, body language, emotions, and other elements which could be challenging and
open to reinterpretation (Andrews et al., 2013). Details of this nature required a need to
define and measure paralanguage; therefore, this design was not appropriate for this
study.
A multiple case study design was appropriate because it was used to encapsulate
multiple instances of real-life setting. The case study design is suitable for studies with
bounded systems that require the collection of detailed information and use multiple
sources (Yin, 2014). An exploratory multiple case study allows the researcher to verify
findings by comparing results from multiple cases to increase rigor providing validity and
reliability (De Massis & Kotlar, 2014).
Research Question
The following research question formed the basis of this study: What strategies
did the family-owned funeral business owners use for intergenerational succession
planning?
6
Interview Questions
1. What succession planning strategies do you currently have in place?
2. What are some of the influences used to get family support for a long-term
vision?
3. What obstacles have you faced in implementing successful strategies?
4. How did your family address the obstacles related to succession planning?
5. How did you measure your succession results to determine if the strategies
were successful?
6. What are some additional fundamental issues about your planning,
implementation, and improvement strategies for succession would you like
to discuss?
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework for this study was game theory. The family business is
a complex system which requires essential understanding, particularly when it comes to
human behavior. Kjellman (2014) argued that human behavior is viewed, not only as a
psychological function, but also incorporating sociology, biology, philosophy, cognitive,
and other science disciplines. The game theory model can apply to human interaction
relevant to social and economic factors (Osborne, 2003). Osborne and Rubenstein
introduced game theory in 1994 to understand family business management relevant to
decision makers, such as business owners and their interactions (Michael-Tsabari &
Weiss, 2015). The game theory provides a possible conceptual framework of issues
7
related to family businesses (Michael-Tsabari & Weiss, 2015). According to Blumentritt,
Mathews, and Marchisio (2012), game theory can be a foundation for the study of
succession planning.
By approaching succession from the perspective of game theory, each participant
could choose his or her strategy based on the choices of others. The focus of game theory
was to model decisions and predict outcomes based on the interactions between a
business owner and his or her potential successor. Family businesses are complex
systems whose change strategies and interventions evolve (Beer, 2014). Using the game
theory potentially enables business owners to use his or her rational thoughts, which
could lead to a different conclusion as to which strategy is in his or her best interest when
it comes to succession planning (Varoufakis, 2008).
Operational Definitions
This study contained operational definitions of terms or acronyms subject to
various interpretations. Those definitions were provided to support the scope and nature
of this study. The following list of operational definitions provided clarification to avoid
misinterpretations of terms defined by peer-reviewed sources.
Family business: According to Gill and Kaur (2015), there is no precise definition
of a family business. The complexity of definitions continues to challenge the scientific
community (Chua, Chrisman, & Sharma, 1999). However, Chua et al. (1999) defined a
family business as being in pursuit of a particular business vision that is controlled by a
family member(s) or a small number of families in a manner which is sustainable over a
8
period through family generations. Family businesses refer to businesses that involve
more than one generation (Woodfield, 2015).
Generation: Denotes contrasts between birth cohorts based on age-related social
factors popular among youth within-family or between generations that support lineage
orientation (Ng & Parry, 2016).
First generation business owners: Use their entrepreneurial vision to create the
family business (van der Westhuizen & Garnett, 2014).
Incumbent: The senior individual who currently holds the management leadership
position in a family business, maintains much of ownership in the company, or represents
family members who have majority ownership in the family business (Boyd, Botero, &
Fediuk, 2014).
Intra-family succession: Transitioning leadership of the business to one or several
of members of a family (De Massis, Sieger, Chua, & Vismara, 2016).
Small business: The Small Business Administration (SBA) defines a small
business as having fewer than 500 employees; however, the definition can vary according
to industries. For this qualitative research study, a small business has less than 50
employees (SBA, 2016).
Subsystems: The family system is a whole system, which consists of some
subsystems. The subsystems include family relationships, environment, and business
components. These subsystems are the building blocks integrated into ownership and
management (Claver-Cortés, Molina-Manchón, & Zaragoza-Sáez, 2013).
9
Succession planning process: Family transfers or successions are the actions,
events, organizational mechanics in which incumbent business owners transfer the
business ownership or business management (Daspit, Holt, Chrisman, & Long, 2016).
Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations
Essential elements of assumptions, limitations, and delimitations were necessary
to clarify and understand the construct of the proposed study; the perspectives and
experiences according to the researcher and participants identified and described those
aspects. Furthermore, the need to recognize and appreciate the biases held related to the
phenomena by both the researcher and the participants might present a challenge. Based
on the following assumptions, limitations, and delimitations, the results of the study may
not prove interchangeable.
Assumptions
The purpose of the assumptions is to mitigate the misrepresentation of facts
caused by undue influences (Yin, 2014). An assumption of the study was to assume that
the incumbent understood the implementation of successful strategies for intra-family
transition, which was the basis for a successful succession to make a connection between
real-life cases and theory. The data collected from this study conceptualized the findings
regarding the relevant theory and current literature. The participants provided truthful and
honest answers regarding succession experiences. The case studies represented in this
study provided sufficient data to address the research question.
10
Limitations
Limitations of research are potential weaknesses that affect a study (Svensson &
Doumas, 2013), one of which may be the design and methodology, which could affect
the application or interpretation of the results. Another limitation related to interviews
because interviews were necessary to construct meaning; therefore, because the sharing
of language is an intersubjective exchange between the researcher and participant, a
single expression of the interviewee can have several different meanings (Kvale &
Brinkmann, 2015). Other limitations included time, convenience, and necessary skill
requirements of the interviewer, which might cause the researcher to overlook essential
facts during the interviews.
Delimitations
Delimitations are characteristics which limit the scope and define the boundaries
of this research study (Lynch & Welch, 2014). The inclusion of business owners in the
funeral industry located only in the Eastern region of the U. S. could delimit the data and
scope of the study. According to Yin (2014), a case study focuses on analytical
generalizations; therefore, some case studies may not apply to a specific population or
generalizable to the funeral industry. Another delimitation of the study was that the
research population only consisted of family businesses that had been in business for at
least two or more generations.
11
Significance of the Study
The benefit of this qualitative multiple case study was to provide valuable insights
relating to successful strategies for family-owned funeral business owners who lacked
strategies regarding intergenerational succession. Although current literature
characterized components of succession planning by identifying the contributions to the
succession process, the examination of strategies from a successful funeral home owner’s
perspective might contribute to improving family-owned business continuity within the
funeral industry. The influences relevant to succession strategies within the context of a
family-owned business would hopefully support recommendations later in the study.
Contribution to Business Practice
An effective succession plan for a family business could provide a roadmap that is
necessary to align and support the business mission, values, and strategy for future
generations (Ward, 2016). The incumbent might implement succession planning as a
decision process by integrating succession strategies into the business goals. The
succession planning process in family business is critical as business goals change
according to family needs or economic performance (Ward, 2016). Succession within the
family can be one of the most critical strategies in determining the longevity of business
(McMullen & Warnick, 2015). The potential contribution of this study was to bring
transitional strategic awareness and possible strategies for succession planning for family
business owners in the funeral industry.
12
Implications for Social Change
The consequences of a positive social change in succession planning strategies
could provide a framework for the incumbent family business owner because he or she
has a responsibility to the successor of the family business. A business leader should
impart family values, leadership, and management skills that align with the family
business goals. These objectives for succession planning may contribute to the
sustainability of family businesses for many generations (Lansberg & Gersick, 2015).
Succession planning helps family members address leadership challenges when the
incumbent decides to exit the business (Aronoff & Ward, 2017).
Successful transitions result in better business performance and may fuel stronger
family member relationships, work, and family values as well as successor training
(Ghee, Ibrahim, & Abdul-Halim, 2015). In contrast, a lack of strategies often leads to a
breakdown of family relationships, which is a fundamental part of the business (Daspit et
al., 2016). By providing family business owners with successful succession planning
strategies, sustainable business growth may be fostered for the next generation and
support the economic growth of the surrounding local communities.
A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature
A consideration of the relevant literature provided a foundation for examining and
evaluating current and prior research concerning succession planning. Family businesses
contribute significantly to the wealth and employment creation for many countries around
13
the globe (Sarbah & Xiao, 2015). The role of the family business owner is essential
because his or her leadership strategies may determine the next successor.
The purpose of this literature review was to advance research in family-owned
business succession by contributing to the understanding of the succession process. This
study was also a response to further studies in family business succession. The overall
objective of the study did not focus on the participants involved; but instead provides
insight into issues regarding succession planning, the possibilities for generalization, and
the identification of successful strategies in family business succession (Ramadani,
Hirsch, Anggadwita, & Alamanda, 2017).
Succession planning is an important issue but a difficult challenge for family
businesses because ownership and management may not be the same. Meier and Schier
(2016) referenced succession as the transference of business ownership and control from
one generation to the next. The family-owned business is value-driven and has issues
regarding the identification of ownership and management between first generation and
multigeneration businesses (Diéguez-Soto, López-Delgado, & Rojo-Ramírez, 2015).
Ward (2016) argued family business owners needed to consider the possibility of
implementing strategic planning processes as a developmental tool in itself for all next-
generation family members involved in family business management.
Strategic planning is crucial because it requires an organization to engage in a
process to alter its structure. Change is inevitable throughout our lifecycle, which unfolds
in a prespecified direction over time (Hayes, 2014). The incumbent business owner
14
makes decisions every day based on experiences, which most often result in evolutionary
change concerning culture, behavior, attitudes, and performance (Beer, 2014; Blanco-
Mazagatos, de Quevedo-Puente, & Delgado-García, 2016).
Succession prepares the incumbent for the transitioning of leadership while
addressing the continuity of the business for future generations. According to Ward
(2016), succession occurs over an extended period, beginning even before the heirs enter
the business. The family business succession process itself can be daunting, especially if
the incumbent owner of the family business refuses to delegate responsibilities to
successors or to relinquish the business (Poza, 2014).
According to the study, the literature indicated a family-owned business could
have a successful succession by the end of the entire succession process. However, the
next generation must develop critical characteristics and skills that include business and
industry knowledge (Vassiliadis, Siakas, & Vassiliadis, 2014). Mussolino and Calabró
(2014) argued that understanding the context and culture of the family business as well as
the incumbent and successor’s ability to facilitate the transition were vital to a successful
transfer.
Empirical evidence from the literature had shown most research was concerned
with family dynamics rather than strategies regarding business sustainability for the
family business. Of the many valid empirical approaches to test family-owned business
research questions, scholars needed to be aware of both the theory and the context of the
study (Bettis, Gambardella, Helfat, & Mitchell, 2014). Chrisman, Chua, and Sharma
15
(2003) concluded most family business research topics were concerned with subjects
such as leadership, ownership, behaviors, conflict, and succession planning.
Based on the literature, the research indicated the topic of family business
succession continues to dominate the field; more than 20% of the articles refer to the
succession process. However, most strategic approaches involving succession pertain to
the economic performance of the business (Chrisman et al., 2003; Hatak, Kautonen, Fink,
& Kansikas, 2016; Miller, 2014;). The goal of the literature review was to contribute to
the family business research by answering the research question about strategies of
successful family-owned funeral businesses for intergenerational succession planning.
Succession planning provides a framework to promote open and shared decision
making, which is critical for reconciling family and business challenges (Benavides-
Velsaco et al., 2013). Pounder (2015) demonstrated a disparity in the literature relating to
successful strategies throughout the life cycle of family-owned businesses. By
researching various dimensions of succession planning concerned with family-owned
businesses, the intent was to develop an understanding using a qualitative multiple case
study approach.
Literature Research Strategy
The literature review for this study was conducted using a systematic search of
relevant and recently published articles in peer-reviewed academic journals, seminal
books, and government websites as additional resources. Examination of the professional
and academic literature revealed 235 resources. From these resources, 199 were scholarly
16
peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2014 and 2018; this number met the
required 85% within 5 years of chief officer's approval for this section (see Table 1).
Several articles and books were purchased because the resources were unavailable
through online databases.
Table 1
Summary of References
Reference Categories Count Percentage %
Peer-reviewed journals <=5 years of 2018 199 85
Peer-reviewed journals >5 years of 2018 18 8
Non-peer-reviewed journals > 5 years of 2018 0 0
Non-peer-reviewed journals <=5 years of 2018 0 0
Dissertations within 5 years of 2018 0 0
Dissertations greater than 5 years of 2018 0 0
Books greater than 5 years of 2018 5 2
Books within 5 years of 2018 6 3
Government website resources 3 1
Other internet website resources 4 2
Total resources 235 100
Exhaustive research was performed by searching the keywords and phrases,
including game theory, family-owned business, family firms, intergenerational, small
business, business succession, succession strategies, succession planning,
transgenerational, business transitions, family relationships, and funeral business. Walden
University library database provided many of the peer-reviewed, full-text articles used for
this study. The databases used were ABI/INFORM Collection, Business Source
17
Complete, EBSCOHost, Emerald Management, SAGE, SAGE Journal, Science Direct,
ProQuest, and search engine Google Scholar.
The subject of successful succession strategies was limited because it was not
possible to explore the types of topics regarding family succession in detail and give
credit to all the researchers and theorists who had made contributions. Research studies
conducted on family-owned businesses narrowed the theoretical framework because the
studies are mainly from a family-owned business viewpoint (De Massis & Kotlar, 2014).
The goal was to explore antecedents of successful strategies regarding intergenerational
succession and identify gaps for future research.
Conceptual Relevance of Game Theory
The principal focus of this research was the potential to contribute to the
academic knowledge of successful succession planning strategies as identified by
incumbent business owners. The discussion involved the incumbent’s ability to transition
the family business to the next generation. As the incumbent approaches his or her exit
from the business, it may result in what game theorists refer to as strategic uncertainty
(Bonau, 2017). The strategic uncertainty involves the inherent imperfections in decision
making as to how the incumbent predicts other family members may make decisions
regarding the succession process (Malekpour, de Haan, & Brown, 2016). The rationality
of family members’ behavior can influence the direction, long-term considerations, and
non-economic goals (De Massis, Kotlar, & Chua, 2014).
18
Blumentritt et al. (2012) introduced game theory as a tool to help bring an
understanding to family business research in succession management. There is significant
concern about the lack of sustainability of family-owned businesses from generation to
generation among many stakeholders, including the family, owners, and government
(Memili, Fang, Koç, Yildirim-Öktem, & Sonmez, 2018; Neubauer & Lank, 2016). The
application of game theory as a possible conceptual framework might explain succession
strategies used by business owners, which had successfully transitioned their family
businesses beyond two or more generations (Boyd et al., 2014).
The ability to provide continuity from one generation to the next seemed to be a
desirable characteristic for the incumbent. However, McMullen and Warnick (2015)
claimed intrafamily succession is rare, since only 30% of family-owned businesses
survive the first generation retaining ownership within the family, while less than 10% of
the family businesses succeed ownership to a third generation. According to Blumentritt
et al. (2012), game theory could be used to analyze the decision and underlying factors
related to succession processes that depend upon more than one decision-maker.
Mathews and Blumentritt (2015) cautioned that a failed succession is a cause for a
business to lose its family-owned status.
The research and other articles used in this study explored the theoretical
constructs of game theory by drawing on the works of various authors. The articles
included the works of Schelling (1960), Turocy and von Stengel (2001), Osborne (2003),
19
Gintis (2009), Blumentritt, Mathews, and Marchisio (2012), and Michael-Tsbari and
Weiss (2015).
The development of game theory in mathematical form during the seventeenth
century applied to nonmathematical applications in social and biological sciences. The
literature revealed that game theory was revisited during World War II to analyze
strategic interactions among combatants but eventually was discovered as a method for
studying social processes. Turocy and von Stengel (2001) defined gamed theory as a
formal study of conflict and cooperation. The concept applies when the actions of several
players are interdependent, resulting in a situation where a player depends not only on
their actions but also on the actions of other players (Blumentritt et al., 2012). Osborne
(2003) defined a player as an individual or group of individuals that need to make a
decision.
According to the literature, game theory is a science of strategy gaining
prominence in various fields of discipline. Bohlin and Inha (2017) suggested viewing
game theory as a bridge between abstract formal concepts of the theory and reality.
Therefore, one might argue that real experiences and lessons learned by the incumbent
and potential successor during the succession process could perhaps be the anchor which
sustains the family business.
According to the researchers, game theory’s purpose was to understand the
challenges influenced by decision making when transitioning a business from one
generation to the next. By examining the interaction between the incumbent and the
20
potential successor required rational but interdependent choices made by individuals
about a family business leadership. For the game theory application to be successful
requires a participant to interpret the identity and preferences, strategy, actions, and
restrictions on those strategies, actions, and decisions of another; these considerations
influence the outcome of the game (Blumentritt et al., 2012).
The game-theoretic model was described by Schelling (1960) as a plan of action
stemming from the player's available information and a set of possible choices given
individual preferences and prior assumptions about rationality. Schelling considered it as
a model of decision making that depicts interactive contexts. Bonau (2017) assessed
game theory with the goal of anticipating the behavior of players, given the choice of
alternative strategies and options.
An organization’s strategy may be interactive, and contingent based on the actions
and reactions of others (Öberg, Shih, & Chou, 2016). Öberg et al. argued strategizing
becomes a response to induce a change which could affect the strategic intentions of an
organization either by reinforcement or disengagement. Neil (2016) maintained that there
needed to be some understanding of how rational individuals accept decisions in an
environment consisting of other individuals responding to their environment.
Schelling’s (1960) argument was that strategy is not the traditional rationality that
may apply to achieve long-term goals and competitive activities on a battlefield or at
play. However, the level of rationality may depend on how players perceived their best
course of action, which is dependent on the choices of others (Neil, 2016). Gintis (2009)
21
proposed one could justify the assumption of rationality if presupposing a full rational
outcome.
Gintis (2009) assumed all individuals could reason, but their level of rationality
dictates behavior. Furthermore, Gintis stated individuals are supposed to use their ability
to reason according to the formulated laws of rational behavior and then behave
accordingly. The author concluded the game theory concept was a generalization of the
empirical framework because it modeled no specific structure on predicted behavior.
Schelling (1960) proposed that integrating psychological and environmental
foundations of game theory could lead to building models. Players have cognitive
abilities to coordinate decisions using processes that are psychologically realistic for
problem-solving without the need for complicated calculations, high levels of foresight,
and exacting standards of mutual knowledge (Neil, 2016). The psychological approach to
rational thoughts indicated that decisions were according to what individuals ought to do,
and players’ values would inform decisions as to what conduct was most desirable.
Neil (2016) credited Schelling’s (1960) study of strategy because of its broad
theoretical context that integrated strategic processes and content into game theory. Neil
argued Schelling's strategy of conflict (SoC) could be useful because it may provide a
framework to inform research on strategy. The SoC was a part of the analysis of a
strategy to form a basis for developing a rational behavioral consistent with game theory.
The SoC is related to the assumption of strategy for game theory, which includes
applying game theory to strategy (Schelling, 1960). According to Neil (2016), an
22
objective of the SoC was to identify actual processes that contributed to strategic
reasoning. The author claimed that Schelling did this by establishing a theory of
interdependent decision to make sense of complex interactions.
Osborne and Rubinstein (1994) observed that the underlying assumption of the
game theory be that decision-makers are rational and they reason strategically.
Meanwhile, Turocy, and von Stengel (2001) claimed the game theory provided a
language to formulate structure, analyze, and understand strategic scenarios. However,
according to Gutierrez, Harrenstein, and Wooldridge (2017), languages did not provide a
direct mechanism for reasoning concerning the behavior of players because there was the
assumption that they act rationally and strategically while pursuing their goals. Dalpiaz,
Tracey, and Phillips (2014) disagreed, stating succession was not only about rationality
but language and meaning.
Chen and Sun (2017) argued there must be trust between parties; otherwise, this
presented a problem in achieving long-term and stable development for organizations.
The authors contended organizations adjust their trust and distrust strategies repeatedly
by interacting with and imitating each other. According to Chen and Sun, based on the
concept of rationality, game theory brought attention to the process of strategic
adjustment and the stability of strategy selection, but not to the selection of the best
strategy.
Mintzberg and Waters (1985) claimed decisions are not naturally strategic,
arguing that many organizations created an environment which was not congenial to
23
strategic planning. Furthermore, a strategic plan does not necessarily mean strategic
thinking (Mintzberg & Waters, 1985). It was unclear how family businesses aligned their
family and business decision making and strategic behavior to transition to the next
generation.
Basco (2014) noted that there could be different degrees of family and business
relationships that contributed to decision making process. Part of the process would
include the family making the business a priority or focusing on family business
operations, while making the family a priority. Basco also contended that the priorities of
a family business could determine whether the business sustained longevity.
Constantiou and Kallinikos (2015) claimed information needed to be collected
through a systematic and purposeful process because the results addressed specific details
required for decision-makers and may improve accuracy in the prediction of future events
including succession. According to Constantiou & Kallinikos, the incumbent and a
potential successor can use the information derived from the data collected through a
systematic and purposeful process to develop strategies. The authors noted the process
did not have to be complicated but required thoughtful planning and collaboration.
For this study, the researcher began with the underlying assumption that the
participants intended to have cooperative interactions. Succession would be mutually
beneficial for both, provided they were not in competition with each other (Hollenbeck,
DeRue, & Nahrgang, 2014; Venter & Boshoff, 2014). Another assumption was that at the
start of the succession process, the incumbent and potential successors had no uncertainty
24
about the other’s intentions and the likely actions and the interaction would be positive
(De Massis et al., 2016). Moreover, in a cooperative game, it would be in the interest of
each participant to anticipate the other participant’s selection so that a mutually beneficial
outcome can be realized (Gintis, 2009).
If each participant knowingly is motivated, the participants do not have to guess
by interpreting informal signals (Michael-Tsbari & Weiss, 2015). The purpose of the
game theory was an attempt to find equilibrium and, in that context, achieving equality in
the succession process means the incumbent and potential successor needed to adopt a
strategy that he or she is unlikely to change. Moreover, the outcome is reached based
upon a set of circumstances resulting from the dependent actions of the two participants.
According to Gintis (2009), in a purely cooperative game, both participants must
agree to their order of preferred outcomes so that there is no conflict of interest.
Cooperation is the alignment of beliefs and incentives for the participants to gain distinct
benefits (Bonau, 2017; Gintis, 2009; Morschheuser, Riar, Hamari, & Maedche, 2017).
The incentive for cooperation was to achieve an outcome that was satisfying for both
participants.
Gintis (2009) claimed a game could contain either perfect or imperfect
information, but it was important that all players knew the rules of the game and the
preferences of the other participants. Michael-Tsbari and Weiss (2015) argued that
communication should be a necessary tool for the incumbent and the potential successor
to achieve equilibrium and a subsequent succession. The authors made the point that,
25
unless the incumbent communicated his or her intentions to the likely successor, there
was no guarantee the succession process would launch.
According to the literature, game theory could analyze situations in which the
choices and actions of multiple players were interactive and mutually dependent. The
outcomes for one player may influence the decisions made by the other player(s) in the
game. Game theory had been a notably useful model in some areas but has been less
successful in others (Samuelson, 2016).
Therefore, further inquiry may be necessary to determine if the game theory may
or may not be viable in exploring choice strategies by the participants that may lead to
successful succession. The conceptual framework chosen for this study may enable the
researcher to develop ideas from an iterative process using the framework and the study
data. In conclusion, the goal was to use the game theory concept to test emerging ideas.
Family Business Defined
According to the literature, there was no clear definition to define family business.
According to Pounder (2015), definitions relating to the family business involved the
business having a more significant share of equity to exert control in top management and
strategy. Neubauer and Lank (2016) argued that little effort must be applied by scholars
to develop a definition because the various definitions used about family business would
be too complicated by attempts to compare studies. Steiger, Duller, and Hiebl (2015)
conducted a 10-year analysis of family business definitions from empirical research
studies. Their results showed no consensus among researchers for a definitive definition;
26
however, their research included a limited number of journals and within a short time
frame.
According to the literature, the family business is the most common form of
business throughout the world, yet it is complicated due to the required skills and
knowledge. Chua et al. (1999) argued that a family business needs to be defined in an
operational and theoretical sense because family businesses are unique from other
businesses. Chua et al. characterized the family business in several ways.
First, as being family-owned and family managed; secondly, family-owned but
not family managed; lastly, family managed but not family-owned. Therefore, the
distinction between ownership and management must be implicit (Chua et al., 1999).
However, Diéguez-Soto, López-Delgado, and Rojo-Ramírez (2015) agreed that the
existence of these components of family involvement did not guarantee the essence of a
family business.
Chua et al. (1999) observed that it is a pattern of ownership that gives the family
business its uniqueness: therefore, ownership involves facilitating business components
such as goals, strategies, governance, management, and succession. Steiger et al. (2015)
supported Chua et al.’ s argument, stating that an understanding of the business
components was an essential approach when defining family businesses. Although
research studies referred to most definitions of the family business as ownership,
management, and sometimes governance, Suess-Reyes (2017) emphasized researchers
tend to neglect business continuity across generations as part of the definitions.
27
Moreover, governance and family identity are related. Sarbah and Xiao (2015) concluded
that family business definitions vary depending on how a family member established
himself based on the family’s organizational structure.
The definition of family business remains complex because of the overlap
between family and business issues. However, Ward (2016) stated the definition of
family businesses should rely on their ability to achieve succession because succession is
critical to the economy. Ward supported Pounder's (2015) argument that a family
maintains legacy and traditions because traditions become the habit of anchoring the
decision-making process for successors. The observance of the family traditions may
remind the younger generation of family members about the origins of the business and
set the tone for future decision-makers (Pounder, 2015; Whetten, Foreman, & Dyer,
2014).
The sustainment of a family business involves family commitment as it is passed
down to the sons and daughters as a legacy, thus preserving the family name. What
makes a family business different from nonfamily businesses is the pursuit of this legacy
based on family traditions, values, and the owner's vision (Jaskiewicz, Combs, & Rau,
2015). The pursuit of a family legacy facilitates family decisions and actions that
influence future generations (Jaskiewicz et al., 2015).
Meanwhile, as the debate continues over the definition of family business,
creating the legacy and preparing for succession requires time and planning. In a recent
article, Pindado and Requejo (2015) said that a broader definition would allow theoretical
28
models of precise dimensions to avoid limiting the context of family businesses.
Moreover, some definitions are aimed to capture core aspects, such as the family
involvement in the business (Harms, 2014) and the incumbent's ability to exert influence
over decision-making processes (Sharma & Mithas, 2014).
A gap still exists in the literature concerning researchers defining family business.
For this study, using a broad definition enabled the researcher to identify a common bond
among family businesses, and to compare and possibly differentiate characteristics from
one business to another. Furthermore, the evidence may support generalization of
findings as appropriate for this specific population.
Succession Plan
Succession planning is a necessary preparation which is essential to ensure family
harmony and continuity of the business through the next generation (Adedayo,
Olanipekun, & Ojo, 2016). Cater et al. (2016) characterized succession as a pattern which
involves the transfer of both the management and ownership of a family business to the
next generation. Although an incumbent may choose to disengage from the business for
the next generation, this did not guarantee a successful transition (Sharma, Chrisman, &
Chua, 2003).
Succession is a critical part of the lifecycle of family-owned businesses.
According to the literature, succession planning is a systematic process for identifying a
potential leader for continued business survival. Lui, Eubanks, and Chater (2015) viewed
succession as an essential decision-making process by the incumbent to ensure business
29
sustainability. However, Gilding, Gregory, and Cosson (2015) characterized succession
planning as problematic and concluded that effective succession planning is considered a
sociocultural accomplishment.
Based on the literature, those sociocultural aspects involve the values, norms, and
various traditions of the family as mentioned by Chua et al. (1999). However, other
researchers, Galvin, Braithwaite, and Bylund (2015), concluded communicating those
same values, norms, goals, and meanings must be continuously created and recreated
over time in processes of social interaction and communication within the family and the
business. This conclusion supported the work of Mussolino and Calabró (2014) who
claimed that a smooth succession did not necessarily rely on succession planning, but
rather in the succession process being consistent with family values (Bizri, 2016).
The literature viewed the succession process as a gradual change over time, which
involves many different systems. Schepker, Kim, Patel, Thatcher, and Campion (2017)
associated the succession process with organizational change. Kidwell, Eddleston, and
Kellermanns (2018) suggested family businesses should take the opportunity during the
succession planning to evaluate the family business culture and determine what elements
are sources of strength and identify weaknesses. The identification of those essential
elements, along with family cultural values is vital to the succession process (Zwack,
Kraiczy, von Schlippe, & Hack, 2016).
Even though the literature indicated how important values are to the family
business, De Massis et al. (2008) determined that a family business might be fragile
30
because of events or changes, such as the death of the incumbent or other interruptions,
which could create chaos for the business. From the literature, many scholars cautioned
that lack of a plan for succession could result in economic losses and possibly loss of the
business. Ghee et al. (2015) contended the key to family business success and
sustainability requires an effective succession.
Cesaroni and Sentuti (2017) considered the family and business as subsystems,
which involve relationships between family members, individual emotions, personal
feelings, communication, motivation and education, and transfer of the incumbent’s role
as soft issues. Cesaroni and Sentuti referred to the hard issues as the ownership
subsystem, which concerns monetary, technical, and regulatory matters, inheritance,
financing, and taxation (Vincencová, Hodinková, & Horák, 2015). Both soft and hard
issues needed to be addressed to improve succession.
Succession planning should be a conscious effort for family businesses.
Throughout the literature, succession planning is a long-term process which prevents
sudden and hasty decisions. Overall, succession planning needed to be a conscious
decision on behalf of the family organization to promote continuity to the next
generation.
Despite the empirical evidence, some results continue to show that approximately
70% of family-owned businesses do not survive the transition from founder to a second
generation (Hiebl, 2015). The Family Business Survey (2017) claimed more than 40% of
family business leaders have a desire to name successors in the next generation of their
31
businesses, but only 23% have a documented succession plan in place (Cater et al., 2016;
PricewaterhouseCooper, 2017). However, Le Breton-Miller, Miller, and Steier (2004)
argued the high failure rate might be the result of a lack of uniformity in the succession
process.
Although the literature showed succession is a process, and not an event (Boyd et
al., 2014), Duh (2015) characterized succession as a multistage process. Ruggieri, Pozzi,
and Ripamonti (2014) proposed the process occur when the incumbent passes the baton
before the heirs enter the business. Meneses, Coutinho, and Pinho (2014) agreed that the
succession process develops over several stages which continues to evolve.
Because the succession process involved changes in management, strategy, and
control, and included the planning and execution, Churchill and Hatten (1997) developed
an approach based on the life cycle of the business. Churchill and Hatten suggested the
succession process consists of four stages. Stage one is owner-management in which the
owner is the only family member involved in the business. The second stage is the
training and development stage when family members of the owner learn the business.
Stage three is a partnership between the incumbent and offspring, and stage four is
transference, in which the incumbent transitions the business to the successor.
Family-owned business succession may be problematic because their offspring
are often poorly qualified. Mathews and Blumentritt (2015) proposed that family
businesses needed to be highly distinctive because unlike other companies, the
institutionalization of this knowledge of business is in the form of a human-specific asset,
32
which derives from learning by doing. The authors acknowledged this component was
missing from the family-owned business.
The literature stated knowledge was relevant to transferring from one generation
to the next in family businesses. Also, the passing of business knowledge is detrimental
to long-term survival. According to Mathews and Blumentritt (2015), the knowledge of
family businesses is often individual-specific rather than business-specific.
Although the evidence suggested that family members should be involved in the
family business, De Massis et al. (2008) argued the family member's abilities, interest,
and the needs of the business must be in parallel. To understand the succession process,
scholars developed various models regarding succession. The literature characterized
succession as a dynamic and iterative process requiring a role transition of the incumbent
simultaneously with succession planning (Marler et al., 2017).
For example, Mathews and Blumentritt's (2015) proposed game theory model,
could give insight into individual interactions that may influence a potential candidate
and the incumbent during the succession process. Cater (2016) argued researchers should
consider if a successor would be willing to take over the business. However, Jayantilal,
Jorge, and Bañegil (2015) used the game theory to investigate how culture impacted the
selection of a successor.
Mussolino and Calabró (2014) developed a model that could address much of the
uncertainty regarding critical influences for a successful succession. The authors defined
a successful succession as the quality of the succession experience, which included the
33
family members' personal experience in the succession process, and the sustained growth
and profitability of the business. Notwithstanding, the authors added that business
performance measures determined the effectiveness of the succession.
An integrative model was proposed by Le Breton-Miller and Miller (2015) to
explain what was necessary for succession to succeed. This model described succession
as a four-stage process: (a) establish ground rules, (b) nurture and develop a pool of
possible successors, (c) selection of successors, and (d) handoff to the chosen successor.
The authors claimed these stages were pivotal to the succession process and furthermore,
the process should include family contexts such as the family relationships, trust, respect,
and roles of each member.
Conversely, Cater and Kidwell (2014) proposed a four-stage model for successor
group development in family businesses that was aimed to identify the roles of the
incumbent family leader and possible successors. The four stages are as follows.
1. The incumbent begins retirement planning and searches for potential
successors, identifying them as candidates,
2. The incumbent evaluates potential successors and the successors enter the
business, learn to manage, and may compete,
3. The incumbent chooses the successor group and reduces his or her
leadership role, and the successors are identified and chosen,
4. The incumbent exits from company leadership by retirement or death and
the successors operate as a leadership group.
34
Another model proposed by De Massis, Chua, and Chrisman (2008) suggested
that the succession process was a chain of causation; the model was designed to be
descriptive and identify influences which may likely prevent intrafamily succession. The
model was developed using an iterative process which involved a review of the literature,
analysis, extensive discussions, and adjustments. In conclusion, the authors suggested the
succession process began with a decision-making process, which would eventually
terminate when the incumbent transitions management and ownership control to the next
generation (Alayo, Iturralde, Maseda, & Arzubiaga, 2016; De Massis et al., 2008).
What was interesting about this specific model is that it assumed that the
incumbent went through a decision process which might be considered primarily rational.
An incumbent is defined as rational if he or she seeks to maximize a payoff based on a
decision with a preferred outcome (Michael-Tsabari & Weiss, 2015). Nonetheless, the
incumbent must have a desire to engage in the succession process, and a potential
successor must be available (Boyd et al., 2014).
Blumentritt (2013) argued a decision might involve two or more interactive
decision makers, such as the incumbent and the potential successor, with both individuals
having only partial control over the outcomes. In other words, either of the individuals
may have no basis for rational choice without strong assumptions about how the other
will act. Blumentritt (2013) claimed this kind of situation would complicate the scenario
and result in problems, creating a breakdown of the standard concept of rationality.
35
Verweij, Senior, Domínguez, and Turner (2015) observed that the concept of
rationality served as the categorizing principle of social life. However, an individual’s
decision was not initially meant to be dependent on another. Rationality is either formal
or substantive (Rindova & Martins, 2017). Rationality depends upon an individual’s
point of view, which corresponds to their knowledge and beliefs as to whether an
incumbent’s decisions be rational or irrational (Kapeliushnikov, 2015). Even though there
are other considerations for decisions regarding a transition, an incumbent must evaluate
different characteristics of family members, the business, and the context to understand
the strengths and weaknesses of the family business (Boyd et al., 2014).
The preferred outcome is derived from a culmination of multiple decision points
after an extended period (Blumentritt et al., 2012). According to the literature, the
incumbent would have to decide how the succession process would work by
incorporating some required possible strategies based on those multiple decisions.
Although various authors described succession as a process, Helin and Jabri (2016)
argued there was a need to add a developmental aspect.
Helin and Jabri (2016) recognized the need to understand the decisions of the next
generation’s family members by evaluating the factors that influence succession along
with the decisions and the process itself. By acknowledging succession as a process,
Michael-Tsbari and Weiss (2015) chose to examine it by focusing on the aspect of
communication between the incumbent and successor using the game theory. In their
article, Michael-Tsabari and Weiss supported their research findings using the work of
36
De Massis et al.’s (2008) chain of causation because the method was an association for
promoting the effectiveness of the succession process. Michael-Tsabari and Weiss stated
that understanding the chain of causation will improve the lines of communication
between the incumbent and the successor as the business transitions.
Communication is a vital part of the planning strategy. For communication to be
successful, Schlag and Vida (2014) maintained the participants involved should not only
talk but listen and must be able and willing to reevaluate their intentions. As a result,
communication between the incumbent and successor reduces tension and increases
harmony and effectiveness in the succession process (Michael-Tsabari & Weiss, 2015).
The use of the game theory may provide insights to the frequent failures of first-
generation family businesses as the business transitions to the next generation. However,
Michael-Tsabari and Weiss (2015) limited their study to what is referred to as the
communication trap, preventing the launch of succession for the family business. The
incumbent needed to communicate his or her intent if succession were to take place.
Further research may be necessary because Michael-Tsabari and Weiss (2015)
assumed a minimal flow of information between the incumbent and successor would
result in an adverse outcome in launching the succession process. Although the authors
came to this conclusion, other results indicated that because succession is a process,
without a proper succession plan, the family business could fail (Le Breton-Miller et al.,
2004). According to Gilding et al. (2015), the creation of transparent and stable rules and
37
protocols to govern individual behavior facilitates a productive family business
succession.
Incumbent leaders can facilitate the succession process through nurturing and
developing the successor, but often, resistance to change is the precursor which impedes
the succession process (Marler et al., 2017). This argument supported Boyd et al.’s
(2014) reasoning that the incumbent must be willing to transfer the business. Marler et al.
argued effective successions be most likely to occur when the incumbent is ready to
prepare the successor by engaging in exit strategies for the transition.
DeTienne, McKelvie, and Chandler (2015) asserted that exit strategies are an
essential part of business ownership, particularly with an estimated 40% of family
business owners (ranging from 60 to 80% of all businesses worldwide) expected to retire
by 2017. According to the authors, less than half of businesses will continue to the next
generation. Hsu, Wiklund, Anderson, and Coffey (2016) noted that most scholars focus
on the incumbent’s exit due to performance issues, but from these authors’ standpoint,
business-to-family and family-to-business interference positively correlate to exit
intentions.
Based on research, most family businesses do not consider an exit strategy, which
results in a messy transition. Ma, Lu, and Xie (2014) believed that most individuals
develop a strategic plan to enter business; therefore, the opposite is also true. Business
owners should implement a strategic plan for exiting (Dehlen, Zellweger, Kammerlander,
38
& Halter, 2014). Justo, DeTienne, and Sieger (2015) proposed that personal reasons often
contribute to intentional exits for the business owner.
De Massis et al. (2008) felt that the exit of heirs might lead to a lack of financial
resources and result in the sale of the family business. However, Lockamy, Carson, and
Lohrke (2016) investigated this premise using the model of De Massis et al. and found
that it was theoretical and lacked empirical support. Therefore, by building on the De
Massis et al. model, Lockamy et al. (2016) integrated several primary factors with which
to identify and understand the critical determinants which prevent succession. The aim
was to help business leaders develop strategies and rise above the obstacles to ensure an
adequate succession. Lockamy’s et al. factors comprised of: (a) process, (b) financial, (c)
individual, (d) context, (e) relationships, and (f) governance.
Obstacles to Succession
Family business scholars have attempted to identify the predictors of effective
succession strategies and have found that many obstacles impede the succession process
(Sharma et al., 2003). Researchers have suggested that the individual most responsible
for the continuity of the family business is the founder or incumbent leader (Gagné,
Sharma, & De Massis, 2014). The crucial defining element of family business continuity
is when the founder or the incumbent transfers the business to future generations (De
Massis et al., 2016).
The principles the incumbent views as necessary would be essential as he or she
began the succession process. The attributes of the incumbent that have brought him or
39
her success in the business may prove to complicate the process as ownership transfers to
the next generation (van der Westhuizen & Garnett, 2014). Marler et al. (2017) contended
the incumbent must be succession ready, which supported Boyd et al. (2014) regarding
the incumbent's readiness. Daspit et al. (2016) cited timing for the incumbent as possibly
influencing the business transition.
The literature told us that other vital influences which often affect family business
succession were economic performance, competitors’ actions, illness and aging, and the
intentions or perspectives of the next generation. For example, when it became time for
the incumbent to retire, the incumbent may be reluctant to transfer the business.
According to Lansberg and Gersick (2015), this reluctance was most likely due to the
incumbent sensing a loss or power and status.
Transference of power is critical to the family dynamics and could affect
succession long before the business transitions (Ghee et al., 2015). According to Le
Breton-Miller et al. (2004), interactions between the incumbent and other family
members, such as the child, might have an impact on personality, values, and behavior.
Also, according to empirical results, dysfunctionality does occur within the family
because of a family member’s need for the independence to assert his or her identity
(Gilding et al., 2015).
Gilding et al. (2015) supported the argument of Lansberg and Gersick (2015) by
noting that the incumbent might be reluctant to surrender the business because their
lifelong investment in the business gives him or her power, control, and security. Ward
40
(2016) argued it might be unrealistic to expect the incumbent surrender control of their
businesses readily because of the lifelong commitment. The incumbent needed to be
willing and motivated to succeed the business to the next generation.
Other scholars such as Rukundo and Cyeze (2015) found a lack of commitment
could be an obstacle in family succession. Ward (2016) proposed that, if family members
lack the necessary skills to manage the business, a dependency on the incumbent can
develop. If the incumbent created a paternalistic culture, this could lead to the
dependence of family members during the lifecycle of the business and could cause
immobility (Mussolino & Calabró, 2014). However, most often, the incumbent was under
the assumption that he or she had prepared the next generation for a transition.
Succession planning is often not a high priority for the family business. Of the
various obstacles presented in the literature for survival and successes, many family
businesses had insufficient or no control depending on the circumstances. Empirical
studies that examined family business transitions suggested more studies were necessary
to improve family business succession by exploring the various stages of the succession
process.
By not understanding the nature of transitions and the complexities of family
business continuity, the family may compromise the business (Lansberg & Gersick,
2015). Ward (2016) supported Rosplock and Hauser (2014) by stating that, even though
the incumbent wants to pass the business to the next generation, family members may not
be gifted with the required skills to sustain the business. Ward had also suggested that
41
family members' roles sometimes changed during and after succession, which might
affect the opportunities and resources of the family business.
The Role of the Incumbent
De Massis et al. (2008) defined an incumbent as the person that holds a top
management position in the family-owned business and must eventually relinquish the
position to another family member. Bozer, Levin, and Santora (2017) defined the
incumbent as the definition of family business culture. For this study, the owner of the
family business was known as the incumbent. According to previous studies, at some
point, the incumbent needs to develop a successor for the future (Boyd et al., 2014; Le
Breton-Miller, Miller, & Steier, 2004).
The incumbent business owner has a responsibility to the successor of the family
business to impart family values, leadership, and management skills that align with the
family business goals and objectives for succession. First generation family business
owners should be cognizant that successors face different challenges today than previous
years of the prior generation (Duh, 2014). The second-generation family member
successor might be required to develop skills that differ from those of the first-generation
incumbent business owner (van der Westhuizen & Garnett, 2014).
Family business researchers explain succession and its challenges from one
generation to the next by indicating the incumbent business owner is a significant
influence during the succession process (Chua et al., 1999). Researchers had identified
gaps and called for an examination of the incumbent and his or her leadership decisions
42
regarding succession. When an incumbent begins to ponder his or her exit, the results
suggested they should consider having an exit strategy.
From the literature, the decision-making process was an essential ongoing method
for management. Blumentritt et al. (2012) noted there were few studies in which specific
decision-making processes, i.e., those that explored succession management, had been
examined. These included decisions by the incumbent to stay or leave, keep the family
business, or appoint nonfamily leaders. Also, the authors investigated decisions by the
successor on whether to work in the family business or to choose a different career.
Although leadership styles play an important role in succession planning, research
suggested management practices could influence succession. Researchers had also
suggested that as the business matures, factors such as ownership, organizational
structure, and managerial style often change (Ward, 2016). However, Bozer et al. (2017)
proposed the leadership style of the incumbent play a role in the family business as to
how it is structured and its business protocols (Muriithi, Waithira, & Wachira, 2016).
Sharma et al. (2003) proposed it was often the lifestyle of the incumbent, which
determined when he or she decided to retire.
Previous researchers provided insight into what motivated incumbents, such as to
grow the business, secure an income for retirement, and ensure future employment for
family members, and provide the sense of pride and achievement (Lansberg & Gersick,
2015). The motivation of the incumbent dictates whether he or she would consider
43
succession. Bozer et al. (2017) argued that incumbents recognize the need to plan
succession, but very few do.
If the incumbent decided to continue the business, he or she should establish
ground rules concerning how to manage growth; success requires a strategy and planning.
The ground rules provide guidance and help to align personal values with the business
goals (Le Breton-Miller et al., 2004). Strategies do not always produce the expected
outcomes if the needs and interests of family members diverge (Braun et al., 2016).
Family members do not necessarily have the same intent or goals as the incumbent (De
Massis et al., 2016).
Cater and Justis (2010) conducted a qualitative case study consisting of four
family businesses. The results suggested the incumbent passed the business to multiple
family members in shared leadership. The authors proposed this idea based on families
with members that belong to different generations and noted concerns as to succession
for intergenerational businesses related to the incumbent’s lack of communication with
the family or inability to let go of control of the business.
Braun et al.’s (2016) research article about the Mondavi Winery enterprise and its
business succession as an example of multiple generational families and their inability to
align the family intentions with the strategic business intent. The differences in expected
strategies among family members caused the business to fail. The researchers argued that
families often rely on traditional strategies for the family side of the business and tend to
neglect the business portion of the company. Mathews and Blumentritt (2015) observed
44
that most individuals do not always know what they want or their opinions change over
time; therefore, the presence of multiple generations does not necessarily lead to a
positive outcome.
Geyer (2016) claimed that intentions mattered when it came to decision makers.
The perception of an act is dependent upon the assessment of the intent; therefore, the
intent of an individual is the antecedent to future activity (Hallam, Dorantes, Cardenas, &
Zanella, 2016). From a strategic perspective, an incumbent’s intent should be an active
and rational management process that leads the family business to pursue a specific long-
term strategic goal (Chen, Liu, Ni, & Wu, 2015).
What was the intent of the incumbent? Did he or she intend to transfer the
business to the next generation? The intentions are assumed to capture motivating factors
that influence the incumbent's behavior regarding succession (De Massis et al., 2016).
However, De Massis et al. suggested the intent depended on the amount of effort the
incumbent planned to exert in performing his or her succession. The aim would involve
the decisions that helped the incumbent develop and carry out his or her vision for the
next generation (Ward, 2016).
The literature had suggested as the incumbent prepared the next generation,
communication might prove to be a challenge. Interpersonal communication skills are
necessary for any business organization. Michael-Tsabari and Weiss (2015) made a valid
argument regarding the lack of communication involving succession, which they refer to
as the communication trap. The authors claimed that lack of communication did not
45
necessarily have to be personal conflict or emotional. Therefore, could the lack of
transferring information to the successor be the result of the incumbent not knowing his
or her intentions?
Mathews and Blumentritt (2015) suggested the incumbent and potential successor
actions or decisions may influence one another according to their preferences. Mathews
and Blumentritt investigated various models of succession and revealed that most models
focused on the development of a potential successor and the decision-making processes
of the incumbent. The authors stated that previous analyses did not consider the
interactions of all parties involved in succession.
As part of their investigation, Mathews and Blumentritt (2015) claimed situations
in which the actions of the incumbent depended on the actions of others are
interdependent. Conversely, the incumbent was dependent upon the potential successor’s
activities regarding the succession process. To understand the succession process, further
examination of the activities to include the interdependent relationships between the
incumbent and potential successors, the strategic choices available to the participants
concerning succession, and the anticipated outcomes would be necessary.
The Successor’s Role
The successor’s role is critical to the succession plan for the next-generation
family member, but it depends on his or her ability, needs, and goals (Samei &
Feyzbakhsh, 2016). Rogal (1989) described the successor or the heir as one who
envisions some possible futures, including interesting and troubling ones. Therefore,
46
most likely those visions contain certain latent assumptions which may predispose the
heir to a less-than-optimal course of action. Rogal suggested that, by breaking down a
vision of the future into discrete components, it was possible to reconstruct those parts in
unexpected and satisfying ways. Rogal claimed at the very least, such an analysis
uncovers unexamined compromises embedded within the heir's visions, thereby setting
the stage for acceptance or reconsideration.
Unless the family member was interested in pursuing inclusion of the next
generation, researchers had shown that succession should not be confused with success.
For a family business to remain successful, the incumbent must generate a new strategy
for every generation that joins the business (Sharma, Chrisman, & Chua, 1997). The
potential successor’s experience throughout the succession process could determine to
what extent they are prepared to take over the business (Mussolino & Calabrò, 2014).
Nordqvist, Melin, Waldkrich, and Kumeto (2015) agreed that the successor’s experiences
might affect the outcome of the succession.
From the literature, the business needed to be in a good position for the
succession process to occur. Aronoff and Ward (2017) recommended the incumbent
assess the current business environment and vision for the future to ensure the potential
successor had the appropriate skills through development and experience to assume the
leadership position. Ghee et al. (2015) contended succession experiences vary across
generations, whereas the age of the successor could be relevant to the adaptability of the
process.
47
There was minimal attention in the literature regarding timing as an essential
element in succession planning. Michel and Kammerlander (2015) supported Le Breton-
Miller et al. (2004) argument that timing is critical not only to the incumbent and
successor but it relevant to the business because of the changes within the environment.
Kidwell et al. (2018) argued external environmental changes and social norms continue
from one generation to the next, which includes respecting authority, strengthening social
bonds, and communicating.
As mentioned earlier, the investigation conducted on the communication trap,
Michael-Tsbari and Weiss (2015) supported Kidwell et al. (2018) by using the game
theory to demonstrate the impact of deficient communication between individuals
involved in succession and how it can hinder the process. In conclusion, Michael-Tsbari
and Weiss argued communication needed to be vital because it related to family
harmony. The authors' stated harmony was necessary before succession regardless of
whether the incumbent or the potential successor initialized succession.
Overall, findings in this field indicated there was attention on succession, but then
the successor was left out of many studies. From a strategic management perspective,
succession required the best successor to the business (Sharma et al., 1997). The family's
vision determined whether the business would grow and be profitable, but the goals must
be stated to establish the best choice when it involved leadership for the next generation.
Based on previous studies, an appropriate technique for a smooth transition of
power of the business required strategy. Le Breton-Miller et al. (2004) introduced an
48
integrative model that contributed to the successor process by integrating variables such
as culture, social, family norms, and industry environment in the business context.
According to the authors, using the following four-stage process facilitated succession:
(a) establish ground rules, (b) nurture successors, (c) selection, and (d) hand-off or
transition.
Throughout the literature, finding a suitable successor was essential to the
business continuity. Once the incumbent identified a successor, he or she must have the
capability to lead, manage, communicate, and commit to taking over the business
(Aronoff & Ward, 2017; Cater & Justis, 2010; Le Breton-Miller et al., 2004). Previous
studies indicated that a competent successor was a crucial variable in a successful
succession process although Mussolino and Calabrò (2014) argued for other key
variables, such as creating an environment to facilitate the process. Samei and
Feyzbakhsh (2015) concluded that proven skills, performance, and experience of the
successor, including decision-making abilities, might result in a definite succession.
Succession Strategies
Planning for the continuation of a family-owned business is an essential
responsibility of a business owner. Tabor, Chrisman, Madison, and Vardaman (2017)
stated that attributes such as demographics, size, age, industry, and governing board were
instrumental to the continuity of family business. Urick, Hollensbe, and Fairhurst (2017)
claimed the interpretation of age-based approach relative to generational understanding
could be problematic. Ward (2016) suggested studying each generation of a family-
49
owned business according to their terms concerning planning since each generation had
unique problems and needs.
A family-owned business could position itself to anticipate and capitalize on
opportunities by using strategic planning to gain market prominence and build a
successful brand (Schaffmeister, 2015). Empirical studies have identified many strategic
areas as part of the structure that supported the business environment. Pounder (2015)
contended planning is fundamental for the family-owned business to overcome some of
the challenges. The ideal plan allowed the business to calibrate family and business needs
to each family member’s interest.
The family-owned business succession not only involved family members but
other stakeholders, such as vendors and clients. Every individual has a different style of
leadership and abilities for dealing with family members and those stakeholders, which
can affect business strategy and its culture (Sharma et al., 1997). Succession involves
multi-dimensional changes as leadership is transferred to business and family (Le Breton-
Miller et al., 2004).
Succession planning strategies need mechanisms such as communication,
credibility, positive feedback, recognition, rewards, and incentives. According to
Stephan, Patterson, and Kelly (2016), identifying and operationalizing these mechanisms
could facilitate positive behavior and create opportunities for change in behavior and
attitudes.
50
From the literature, there were very few strategic decisions based on economic
factors. Dalpiaz et al. (2014) argued that the creation and evolution of a family business
undertaking should be a linear and strategic process. According to Chrisman et al. (2003),
succession requires changes in strategy and business structure, which include opportunity
and resources. The strategic process required the family to develop and adopt goals
following a course of action to achieve those goals.
Dalpiaz et al. (2014) claimed priorities involving family and noneconomic goals
take precedence over business goals to include the concept of planning for the future. The
authors argued there might be times when the family may not be rational in an economic
sense. This reasoning explained why Ghee et al. (2015) suggested that the importance of
the incumbent place on traditional values and vision, which are critical to the
development of a family-owned business.
Ward (2016) supported Fletcher, De Massis, and Nordqvist (2016) by stating that
the essential characteristics and value of the incumbent shaped the family business future
and strategy. A successful transition of the family-owned business is a result of a healthy
business (Neubauer & Lank, 2016). Ward argued that competition and conflict could be
favorable for the growth of the business because it allowed family members the
opportunity to develop new ideas.
According to the literature, family business succession could maximize success
for the family business. Family success had a positive impact on the family business, not
vice versa (Ward, 2016). The incumbent or founder of the family-owned business
51
established and developed his or her organization with the intent to create a family legacy
as well as wealth and to ensure survival (Goel & Jones, 2016). However, perpetuating a
family legacy would require the incumbent to manage the succession by finding a
replacement.
The incumbent wanted to ensure that his or her legacy remained intact. The
legacy of their commitment to the industry, business, and position is paramount to having
a competent successor (Collins, Worthington, & Schoen, 2016). Napolitano, Marino, and
Ojala (2015) argued business historians tend to use the survival of a business as a
barometer for success, but the longevity of a family business is integral to the prosperity
of the entire family. Business longevity requires exogenous factors, such as the type of
business, location, and size is determinants which influence survival (Napolitano et al.,
2015).
Although typical characteristics for extraordinarily long-lived businesses
throughout history are a relatively small or medium size and family ownership, 99% of
all businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises, unable to expand to considerable
entities because of the scarcity of resources or strategic choice (Napolitano et al., 2015;
Szczerbak, 2017). Ghee et al. (2015) argued that a successor might be able to run the
family business; however, he or she may not know how to expand the business.
Ghee et al. (2015) viewed the second-generation successors as having more
education and, according to the researchers, higher education affords the new generation
with the ability to adapt to competitive environments, new technology, new markets, and
52
gain new customers. Ghee et al. claimed future generations seemed to lack experience in
handling changing and dynamic environments, while the incumbent vacillated in his or
her decisions, wasting resources and creating conflict and confusion in the process as a
result of inconsistencies in strategic initiatives (Moss, Payne, & Moore, 2014).
Ultimately, those decisions became essential to the success of the business.
Due to the challenges in the business environment, Szcerbak (2017) argued that
both large and small businesses require strategies. Szcerbak stated as part of those
strategies, business owners might need to assess the collective management of local
resources and the demand for product and services as a key to longevity. Szcerbak
recommended family businesses adapt business strategies and practices to meet the
changing environment to succeed over time.
Based on the literature, there are various models which facilitate successful
transitions for family business leaders to develop strategies to overcome obstacles which
impede the succession process. From the research, there were few findings concerning
the decisions that a family business made and their strategic goals. According to the
researchers, family business development is necessary to understand succession and
develop strategies (Blumentritt et al., 2012).
Ward (2016) proposed a three-circle model of family business. The author
suggested that family-owned businesses plan on four different levels simultaneously and
interdependently. These strategies were to produce a business strategy plan, leadership
and ownership succession plan, a personal financial plan for family members, and a
53
family continuity plan. The plans needed to address the incumbent’s vision for the future
about the family members involved in the business, how many of them participated, and
what roles family members may fulfill (Meier & Schier, 2016). Other variables, such as
internal and external environments, including political, sociocultural, and technological,
could affect the business strategy, incumbent strategy, and also impact family
participation in the business (Charles, Ojera, & David, 2015).
Braun et al. (2016) stated that the strategy required a successful implementation.
For successful implementation of a strategy, De Massis, Kotlar, Campopiano, and Cassia
(2015) argued one must understand the processes by which family firms execute their
strategies because this could affect family business performance and behavior. The
strategic goals of the family business were a result of the ability and willingness of family
members.
Since humans are involved in planning, particularly in business or some other
area, there was a need to familiarize themselves with various business models since
forecasting the future was uncertain (Arregle et al., 2014). According to Arregle et al.
(2014), uncertainty grew over time, which introduced risk. However, research had
indicated family businesses are relatively stable systems so long as the founder or the
incumbent remained in his or her position (Kammerlander, Dessi, Bird, Floris, & Murru,
2015).
Scholars needed to understand the evolution of the family business and the
interactions of the various subsystems (Cano-Rubio, Fuentes-Lombardo, Hernández-
54
Ortiz, & Vallejo-Martos, 2016). Gundry, Kickul, Iakovleva, and Carsrud (2014) noted
that family businesses are systems which comprised of two subsystems: family and the
business (Sharma et al., 1997). Although the family business is considered a system,
family members could be susceptible to initial conditions (Schaltegger, Lüdeke-Freund,
& Hansen, 2016).
The characterization of the family business as a system positions it in the category
of being prone to disturbances. Buma (2015) described a disturbance as interactions
which have the potential to cause considerable, nonlinear, or unexpected changes in
ecosystem structure and its functions. For example, disturbance, such as illness, divorce,
or death might cause destabilization in the family business (Galvin et al., 2015).
However, a viable business could still be in operation even when the incumbent creates a
void in business continuation but not a death of the business (Coad, 2014).
Family business succession is an iterative and dynamic process which occurs over
time as planning takes place (Marler et al., 2017). Since the family and business are two
different systems, any small disturbance in a system is likely to find some asymptotic
configuration that is not necessarily equilibrium and leaves the possibility of oscillations
in the systems, which can lead to eventual chaos (Arrow, Ehrlich, & Levin, 2013). Chaos
over time might disrupt the incumbent, making long-term forecasting, formation, and
implementation of a strategy very difficult. Hence, under the game theory concept, when
assuming the incumbent as a rational individual, chaos likely affects his or her decisions
in the succession process (Bonau, 2017).
55
According to Blumentritt et al. (2012), when using the game theory, the games
were played under certain conditions, including the structure of the game and possible
strategies that the individual could select. The authors called this the rules of the game.
The strategies in the game theory were courses of actions available to the participant.
Utilizing the game theory as a concept may give insight into the incumbent's
decision-making process before succession and the possible strategies based on the
available courses of action. Allio (2015) disagreed because, according to the author,
managers do not make rational decisions but merely act to maximize the uti lity of their
decisions. Allio contended that today’s business owner must cope with many variables
and based on these circumstances, the game theory did not apply.
Family business leaders may or may not be strategic but selecting the best
strategy for today does not guarantee it would be an ideal strategy in the months ahead or
the next few years (Allio, 2015). Bryson, Edwards, and Van Slyke (2017) defined
strategic planning as a deliberative, disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions
and actions that shaped and governed what an organization is, what it does, and the
reasons why. Akaeze and Akaeze (2016) described strategy as the theory of business on
how to compete successfully. According to these descriptions, it was unclear what kind
of measures could be used to determine how the decisions were made by the incumbent
and whether the characterizations could be considered a successful succession event.
Schlepphorst and Moog (2014) suggested that, evaluating a succession required
an individual to be able to distinguish between the qualities of the transition experience
56
and if the succession process was adequate. According to the authors, quality reflects the
experiences of the family members involved in the process. Some quality characteristics
to measure regarding family issues were conflict, trust, rivalry, resentment, and stress
(Nosé, Korunka, Frank, & Danes, 2017). The basis for determining adequacy was the
result of the outcome of the succession process (Mussolino & Calabrò, 2014).
van der Westhuizen and Garnett (2014) contended a successful transition led to a
higher chance of success and long-term profitability. The authors stated that the
succession process was delicate; therefore, increasing the chances of finding a competent
successor required a well-considered and planned succession. Succession planning
supports the facilitation of growth and continuity of the family-owned business because it
may decrease indecision related to the business owner’s plans for succession (Neubauer
& Lank, 2016).
Family-Owned Funeral Business
Sales in the funeral service industry in the US have estimated at $17.2 billion
annually by 2019 (NFDA, 2017). The cost of a traditional funeral averages $12,000,
which lists it as the third largest expense for an individual beyond a house or an
automobile (Sanders, 2012). A funeral service consists of three components: a ceremony
and tribute, which is a funeral or memorial service; the disposition of remains, through
burial or cremation; memorialization, through monuments, markers or inscriptions
(Whitaker, 2005). By definition, the funeral services industry encompasses all the
activities related to preparing the deceased for viewing, transportation of the deceased
57
from place of death, and the service and final disposition, e.g., at a cemetery (Korai &
Souiden, 2017).
As of 2017, there are 19,322 funeral homes, which employ more than 115,000
individuals in the U. S. (NFDA, 2017). Small business funeral homes are responsible for
86% of the funeral business in the U. S., while only 14% of funeral businesses are
corporate-owned (Tamakloe, 2015). The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, n.d.) has cited
the labor force for this industry as being expected to grow 7% between 2014 and 2024.
A family-owned business accounts for 60% of the workforce and is a significant
familial influence on intergenerational careers (Yoo, Schenkel, & Kim, 2014). Sanders
(2012) maintained that growth in the funeral industry in the U. S. itself occurs by
preserving a social good, but otherwise, the industry is structured to appeal to the moral
economy. Funeral business success is mainly due to the continued growth of the
population (Vargas-Hernández, 2013).
In a survey conducted by Kreischer Miller’s Center for Private Company
Excellence (2016), 62% of the senior generation of owners would transition their
business within the next ten years. The survey noted that 65% are uncertain about a
retirement plan, and approximately 51% did not have a succession plan in place. With
significant changes occurring in the funeral industry over the past 15 years, one
difference was the ongoing transformation from a collection of small family-owned
businesses into substantial national and international corporate entities (Whitaker, 2005).
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The succession rate of the family-owned funeral businesses is decreasing with
each generation due to large corporations as they continue to absorb the smaller
businesses to cut out competition; rationalize its staff, services, and assets while
increasing the cost of funerals (Tamakloe, 2015). On the flip side, as baby boomers age,
they demand and are opting for more cost-effective alternatives for funerals, such as
cremations or green burials. As baby boomers move away from the traditional funeral
service toward other methods of body disposal and memorialization, the funeral industry
faces structural, cultural, and technological changes (Beard & Burger, 2017a).
A business owner needs to understand the inherent changes in the industry; this
allows them to capture the intricacies of the funeral business and the interrelationship of
business practice, cultural changes, new technology, and customer demand (Beard &
Burger, 2017a). These changes would require the next generation to become more
knowledgeable in areas such as consumerism, marketing, and technology. The incumbent
would have to make a decision that focused on a successor to whom he or she could
provide training and ensure their success.
A question remained for the owners and researchers as to how success may be
measured relative to norms for the funeral industry. Research indicated there were critical
success elements such as governance, knowledge transfer, and management which were
essential to the long-term survival of the family-owned business (Bogers, Boyd, &
Hollensen, 2015). The critical elements identified in the literature could be relevant to
successful succession for family-owned funeral businesses (Neubauer & Lank, 2016).
59
Therefore, these critical elements were used as guides while collecting data on the case
studies selected for this proposed study, case studies that would, hopefully, revealed
successful succession strategies in family-owned businesses.
The selection criteria were aimed to facilitate comparisons among cases, and
participants were sought out using the available evidence and research that was relevant
to answering the research question. Understanding the decision-making processes that
influenced successful transitions among family-owned funeral businesses gave insight for
incumbents who lacked strategies for decision making and transitioning beyond the first
generation. Up to this point, the research on succession still leaves many unanswered
questions about a successful succession event.
Finding the Lifeline
The ability to survive over generations is a significant phenomenon for the family
business. Bakoğlu and Yildirim (2016) asserted that the persistence of control by the
same family over generations should be the driving force of continuity. The family
business has a strong historical presence and a universal footprint in society and the
economy. According to the literature, many authors had suggested strategies to improve
family business sustainability were necessary as a lifeline to future generations.
Gill (2013) contended that decisions about the future be made based on the
understanding of the past and where family members fit into the historical and social
fabric of their community (Ball, 2017). White (2017) believed that people project
themselves directly into an image of the future. In other words, an individual’s sense of
60
self-impacts the decision-making process as succession planning articulates perceptions
of the future about the past (Gill, 2013; Sergeeva, 2016).
Steier, Chrisman, and Chua (2017) argued that family businesses are shifting
attachments to the original business. The authors claimed a family was more inclined to
exit from a business that no longer provided benefits, such as value creation or a lack of
family engagement. From a generational perspective, White (2017) maintained that past
generations relied on the children and grandchildren as the backdrop in a pattern of
continuity, using practical and ethical decisions that were now difficult to pursue.
The pursuit of a potential successor had become a challenge as family members
perceptions differ on aspects of active ownership (Cherchem, 2017; Helin & Jabri, 2016).
It appears the family business owner placed a higher value on socioemotional wealth,
such as the value associated with maintaining constant control over the business activities
(Hernández-Trasobares & Galve-Górriz, 2016). Firfiray, Cruz, Neacsu, and Gomez-
Mejia (2018) referred to socioeconomic wealth as the collective set of non-economic
functionalities that family business owners assume as owners. Reay, Jaskiewicz, and
Hinings (2015) argued the concerns for family reputation might contradict the control of
undertakings by the business.
Lefebvre and Lefebvre (2015) observed the incumbent's best interests for the
future generation was by preparing them socially through either direct or mediated social
interaction with various stakeholders, such as other family members, other businesses,
suppliers, and the overall local community. The authors claimed the succession
61
experience for the potential successor determined whether he or she would either retain
the family business past or completely reject it. Lefebvre & Lefebvre argued that the
expectation for the family heir to take over the business could seem to be an obligation
rather than a free choice.
Gill (2013) argued that the generation of today could lack family values because
of a detachment from historical time in a philosophical tradition, which the author refers
to as generationalism. Delmas and Gergaud (2014) maintained that future generations do
possess the element of being an heir, which qualifies them as a stakeholder, and is
necessary for family business survival. However, Delmas and Gergaud argued the
assumption of heirs inheriting the business might determine the way an incumbent
behaves in anticipation of intergenerational succession (Pinheiro & Yung, 2015).
Vauhkonen, Kallio, Kauppinen, and Erola (2017) discussed intangible
socioeconomic resources such as attitude, behavior, and future goals of the incumbent
contribute to the socialization of the next generation. The authors claimed some resources
were not as valuable, but if the incumbent lacked essential resources, either tangible or
intangible, the result could be a negative influence on the next generation. Kidwell et al.
(2017) argued that significant events of the past made an impact on how the family
members behave in the present and the future.
It was not clear that the lack of tangible and intangible resources available to be
passed from one generation to the next might cause a decline in family-owned funeral
businesses. Further, it might not be that an incumbent necessarily chose a family member
62
for intergenerational transfer. Lui et al. (2015) argued it might be the incumbent’s
emotional attachment to carry the family name through the business that drives the
choices.
The controlling family places importance on a business identity that reflects the
family and on transgenerational sustainability to continue the legacy of the family
(Neckebrouck, Manigart, & Meuleman, 2017). The identity of the business perpetuates
the legacy which gives the family a healthy attachment; therefore, they are less likely to
accept nonfamily members into the business (Neckebrouck et al., 2017). From a human
resource perspective, Daspit, Madison, Barnett, and Long (2018) asserted that family
businesses often favor family over nonfamily employees, with the authors suggesting that
family members tend to maintain a balance with moderate levels of cohesion within the
family structure.
The literature pointed out that reverence for family, culture, and tradition was
handed down through the generations. Weismeier-Sammer and Hatak (2014) argued the
reverence for the business history and tradition be fundamental to family business
succession. Dalpaiz et al. (2014) proposed that perhaps the successors in family
businesses may need to use the family legacy to construct a vision of the future that
would be consistent and compliments prior generations of family business leaders.
Furthermore, the researchers suggested that most incumbent leaders had a desire to leave
a legacy for family members.
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De Massis et al. (2016) viewed the legacy of a family business as an asset created
by the incumbent generation to provide benefits for future generations. Although
researchers had not explicitly defined a family legacy, Hammond, Pearson, and Holt
(2016) offered a theoretical explanation of the critical artifacts (tangible and intangible)
and preferences, which the authors considered as interrelated. The authors proposed a
formal definition as a social legacy, which consisted of a network of meanings associated
with the family transferred through shared stories and broader social tactics (Hammond et
al., 2016).
Anglin, Reid, Short, Zachary, and Rutherford (2017) argued the legacy of the
family gave identity to the business and defined the perception of a family business, both
internally and externally; the legacy serves as the foundation of the business’ reputation.
Family members recognized that the status of the family business is critical for long-term
viability and to attract the cooperation and loyalty of stakeholders who provide useful
resources (Le Breton-Miller & Miller, 2015). Carr, Chrisman, Chua, and Steier (2017)
stated that more clarification was necessary as to the nature and components of this
legacy. Hammond et al. (2016) viewed the family legacy as a significant component of
the decision-making processes within the family business.
Hammond et al. (2016) proposed that shared stories of family history should lead
to collective aspirations and goals that aid in developing a set of strategic choices, which
reflect in the actions of the family members. The authors claimed the shared stories or
narratives might result in strategies that family business successors need to legitimatize
64
themselves and their actions. However, Hjorth and Dawson (2016) suggested a narrative
analysis involving family history might be useful in analyzing the issues of succession,
and that by tracing the events of the family business life, an iterative approach may be
used to comprehend human behavior and the complexities of social interactions (Dawson
& Hjorth, 2012).
Chrisman, Chua, De Massis, Minola, and Vismara (2016) claimed that researchers
needed to understand decision-making processes regarding strategies which determined
behavior and performance and affected family goals and resources. Sund, Melin, and
Haag (2015) argued an incumbent maintained a substantial influence in both the second
and third generations. Therefore, Sund et al. (2015) suggested that behavioral control
might be related to the previous generations’ retention of managerial characteristics and
business practices over several generations (Michael-Tsabari, Labaki, & Zachary, 2014).
Hamilton, Jack, and Cruz (2017) contended that narratives might provide a
framework, which gives context to meanings, thoughts, motivations, shared memories,
and family experiences. Rance, Gray, and Hopwood (2017) described narratives as a way
for human beings to make sense of past experiences. However, Fraser and MacDougall
(2017) noted that a common problem with narratives was that an individual might not
know where the boundaries of a story begin and end.
Wright, Chrisman, Chua, and Steier (2014) supported the use of narratives in
some cultural contexts to legitimize successors and strategies. Smith’s (2017) argument
was that all stories were narratives, but not all narratives were stories; this left a gap in
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research concerning narrative genre in the context of family business. Overall, Hamilton
et al. (2017) viewed narratives as a form of communication which served to articulate the
family's organizational culture, navigate change, and provide stability.
Delmas and Gergaud (2014) contended the business owner’s intent for
transgenerational succession needed to encourage sustainability. According to Delmas
and Gergaud, family business sustainability came in many forms. Schaltegger et al.
(2016) argued for developing a business model to meet those needs of the present
generation but did not compromise the future generations' ability to meet their needs and
achieve goals (Özçelik, 2015). Schaltegger et al. suggested that linking family business
models with sustainable corporate strategies might improve the financial outcomes for
the business.
It was essential to determine how were the needs of the next generation could be
met to sustain the family business. Le Breton-Miller and Miller (2017) suggested that
some families would create a new company aligned with the talents, needs, and desires of
the younger generation. McMullen and Warnick (2015) supported family businesses
entry into a new industry-specific business sector to satisfy entitled family members (Fox
& Wade-Benzoni, 2017).
The new business investment might satisfy the need for autonomy while reducing
family conflicts and facilitates harmony (McMullen & Warnick, 2015). The entry into a
new business might require the talents and inputs of nonfamily members if a family-
owned business deviated from the existing business requiring knowledge, skills, and
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experience beyond the capabilities of the controlling family (Gu, Lu, & Chung, 2016).
Because family businesses had a concern regarding business continuity, more family
businesses implemented training and mentoring of the younger generation than did
nonfamily organizations (Le Breton-Miller & Miller, 2015).
Mentoring is the sharing of knowledge or knowledge accumulation (Distelberg &
Schwarz, 2015). Dhaenens, Marler, Vardaman, and Chrisman (2017) argued that
mentoring did provide some degree of commitment to the family business, but the
authors recognized that sometimes mentoring might be dysfunctional, e.g., when a
successor’s goals did not align with the family business or demands placed on the
successor by the incumbent. Dhaenens et al. (2017) proposed more research might be
necessary because there was very little information about the influence of mentoring in
family business compared to nonfamily organizations.
Giulott-Soulez and Soulez (2014) recommended that scholars research the
differences in generational values. Al-Asfour and Lettau (2014) argued engagement with
the younger generation could be a challenge when having to replace retiring baby
boomers. Scholars acknowledged that younger generations did have a desire to work, but
the work needed to be challenging (Pyöriä, Ojala, Saari, & Järvinen, 2017). Al-Asfour
and Lettau recognized there was a need for the younger generation to understand the
relationship of their work to the overall mission of the family business so they may see
benefits from their work.
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Glover and Reay (2015) argued that some strategies had been identified to
provide family businesses sustainability through economic growth; however, researchers
had given minimal attention to the survival of small family businesses that experienced
poor financial returns. Those businesses identified as economically disadvantaged
potentially did continue from one generation to the next. In these cases, it was unclear
how the incumbent provided an incentive for his or her next generation when the revenue
was inconsistent.
Parker (2017) argued that perhaps the incumbent needed to provide tangible and
intangible capital as an incentive for the potential successor to continue the family
business. Randerson, Dossena, and Fayolle (2016) noted that, because a family-owned
business is a heritage business, implementing robust governance models and rules for the
next generation provided strong incentives to conform to traditions. Madison, Holt,
Kellermans, and Ranft (2015) suggested a type of governance that facilitated strategic
flexibility and innovativeness.
According to Allen, George, and Davis (2018), a personalized form of
governance, such as relationships and family influence that aligned with the family
business decision maker and owner, resulted in a strategic benefit. Madison et al. (2015)
cautioned that aside from the structure created, governance associated with family
ownership might not be the best quality because family dynamics and potential conflicts
could become a challenge. Van Aaken, Rost, and Seidl (2017) acknowledged that owner-
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managers tend to make decisions to benefit their families, as opposed to the long-term
viability of their business.
Aparicio, Basco, Iturralde, and Maseda (2017) argued that seeking alignment
between family and business identities could influence the business economic goals. The
overlap of family and business identity tended to be a motivating factor which propels the
family to strive for a favorable reputation instead of pursuing financial goals intended to
satisfy non-family stakeholders (Aparicio et al., 2017; Memili et al., 2018). Revilla,
Pérez-Luño, and Nieto (2016) observed that, unless the ruling family had a distinct set of
family-centered goals, the cost of business failure tends to be relatively high (Evert,
Martin, McLeod, & Payne 2016).
Because family business owners seemed to be motivated not only by financial
objectives but nonfinancial as well, preserving their socioemotional wealth could affect
their ability to be innovative (Diéguez-Soto, Manzaneque, & Rojo-Ramírez, 2016;
Memili et al., 2018). Lambrechts, Voordeckers, Roijakkers, and Vanhaverbeke (2017)
indicated that nonfinancial objectives, such as maintaining authority, control, and
influence over the family business or perpetuating the family legacy, could be crucial
reference points in strategic decision making. Holt, Pearson, Carr, and Barnett (2017)
agreed that family businesses might benefit from strategies to pursue family-centered
nonfinancial outcomes because these have relevance and meaning for the family and the
business.
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Schenkel, Yoo, and Kim (2016) argued the alignment of interest should be placed
on ownership and management to foster a stronger foundation because ownership and
management did not necessarily transition simultaneously when succession leadership
changes occurred within the family business. Bennedsen, Fan, Jian, and Yeh (2015)
thought there should be a compromise between control and alignment of interest;
ownership is concentrated with the incumbent or distributed among stakeholders. The
authors concluded most businesses start off relatively small, which limited the number of
stakeholders. However, when ownership of the business peaks, it tended to be highly
concentrated, and control benefits immediately outweigh those of economic and interest
alignment (Bennedson et al., 2015).
Schlepphorst and Moog (2014) argued family businesses had less experience in
hiring practices compared to nonfamily businesses. Schlepphorst & Moog stated most
often family businesses replaced management less often than the average nonfamily
business (, 2014). The authors claimed more research was necessary to determine the
recruiting and selecting of successors because the peculiarities of family businesses could
influence the decision in favor of a family successor who might not have the
qualifications or attributes.
Omotayo (2015) mentioned that, once succession from the previous generation
occurred, the new generation should be prepared to create new knowledge which
contributes to business performance and creates competition. Wang, Zuo, and An (2017)
considered younger people as more suitable than their predecessors because of their
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desire to accept new ideas and new technologies. The succession process provides an
opportunity for the incumbent to create innovation and renewal for the family business
(Hauck & Prügl, 2015; Matzler, Veider, Hautz, & Stadler, 2015; Gundry, 2014).
Dodd, Theoharakis, and Angelo (2014) introduced organizational renewal, a
concept that is focused on self-understanding and may be valuable to the family business
because of the specific characteristics and interconnections exiting in the family structure.
The authors suggested that successors did often show respect to previous generations by
continuing same business practices as their predecessors. Dodd et al. proposed that the
family should maintain high expectations and provide incentives for preserving a strong
reputation, even as family members were encouraged to take entrepreneurial risks.
However, Arrondo-García, Fernández-Méndez, and Menéndez-Requejo (2016)
supported the idea that family businesses might need to engage in riskier ventures to
preserve their socioemotional wealth; however, the decision to take risks should be
contingent on the current business environment (Smith, 2016; Sciascia, Nordqvist,
Mazzola, & De Massis, 2015). Many scholars had proposed the incumbent’s goals,
intentions, and motivations might determine whether the family business would engage in
risky ventures (Basco, 2017; Chrisman, Fang, Kotlar, & De Massis, 2015). Classen,
Carree, Van Gils, and Peters (2014) argued family businesses favored investing less for
innovation; however, this did not indicate the business was less innovative
(Kammerlander, van Essen, & Zellweger, 2015).
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Hnátek (2015) also suggested that the successor needed to create new knowledge
and proposed a creative concept called design thinking. Several scholars recognized this
method as helping successors to identify new business opportunities and refresh the core
business by creating new visions and values to generate innovative, competitive strategies
(Hnátek, 2015; Liedtka, 2015).
Sergeeva (2016) posited that self-identity requires an individual to engage in
networking so he or she may align with aims and objectives and create an identity as an
innovative champion. As an innovative champion, the concept was designed to take risks
in identifying, refining, and supporting innovations introduced by individuals and groups
within the organization. Sergeeva viewed this as an opportunity for businesses with
changing and dynamic environments to be proactive with innovation and improve
products and services.
Family business success is not only contingent upon its strategic position in the
market but also on continuing to create and develop unique capabilities (López-Cabarcos,
Göttling-Oliveira-Monteiro, & Vázquez-Rodríguez, 2015). Many scholars viewed some
family businesses as competing in established, low innovation markets, but many of these
firms operate in tumultuous and competitive environments demanding significant
innovation in products, markets, and services (Miller, Wright, Le Breton-Miller, &
Scholes (2015). Otherwise, if the family intended to pass the business on to the next
generation, there should be a continuous renewal of processes to prevent stagnation
(Cucculelli, Le Breton-Miller, & Miller, 2016).
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Röd (2016) argued family businesses owners who had a desire and ability to be
innovative had a higher chance of survival across generations. Feranita, Kotlar, and De
Massis (2017) contended innovation required a family business to become
entrepreneurial and take risks to survive in highly dynamic and competitive markets to
achieve their long-term vision (Prajogo, 2016). Bennedsen and Foss (2015) claimed there
was substantial empirical evidence to support that the antecedents and effects of
technological innovation differ between family and non-family owned businesses;
whereas, some findings were conflicting about the impacts of adopting innovative
strategies and more research was necessary.
The funeral industry today uses technology and a variation of alternative
traditions to memorialize the dead; one alternative for the industry has been to become
more diverse in methods of disposing of remains (Beard & Burger, 2017a). Innovation
and technology contribute to the family-owned funeral business owner’s needs to
strategically change their business models and enhance business to remain competitive
(Beard & Burger, 2017b). Notwithstanding, the family-owned funeral business must
consider the stakeholders they serve. Bennedsen et al. (2015) argued religious business
owners on average tend to take less risk and invest less in fixed and intangible assets as
opposed to businesses founded by non-religious owners.
Stakeholders must understand the actual value of innovation, and in some
instances, might need to develop new capabilities to benefit the business (Hillenbrand,
Driessen, & Koll, 2015; Kammerlander, Sieger, Voordeckers, & Zellweger, 2015).
73
Stakeholders come from diverse backgrounds and norms and therefore have expectations
about the way business should be conducted (Hillenbrand et al., 2015). Still, even with
better access to information, customers tend to use previous funeral homes known to their
families (Audebrand & Barros, 2017; Villamin, 2016).
According to the literature, the high costs of funerals in the industry had led
families away from the traditional way of burial. With the increase in market share by
corporations, the family-owned funeral businesses are diminishing due to lack of
successful strategies based on industry changes (Arshed & Danson, 2016). According to
Arshed and Danson, a majority of family-owned small businesses with less than 50
employees are vulnerable to succession failure. The authors noted that not only
governance and management issues affect succession but cultural differences could also.
Audebrand and Barros (2017) argued that culture played a role in economic
inequality within the funeral industry. The authors claimed that, at one time, culture
protected the family-owned funeral homes from price competition. However, the family-
owned funeral business must maintain its identity and a good reputation because a funeral
is sensitive; therefore, its status is always at risk (Beard & Burger, 2017b). According to
Beckert and Musselin (2013), strategies for funeral businesses are closely related to
cultures and traditions, which can sometimes be a disadvantage for business strategies.
Beard and Burger (2017b) made an argument that with decreased profitability in
the funeral industry, these businesses are at a disadvantage when it comes to marketing.
The funeral industry is taboo or thought to be offensive to consumers when it came to the
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advertisement. The authors suggested embracing diversity and technology were a
necessary strategy for the business.
Finding a lifeline to family business succession for the next generation requires
understanding and knowledge of family history, culture, and traditions. These issues
remain complicated for researchers and scholars. The alignment of interest and family
values with the incumbent plays a significant role for the next generation. Identifying,
comprehending, and prioritizing the needs of family and stakeholders are essential in a
business climate.
van der Westhuizen and Garnett (2014) argued the responsibility of the incumbent
should be to provide support to the family-owned business beginning with the first
generation (Ramadani, Bexheti, Rexhepi, Ratten, & Ibraimi, 2017). The transfer of
increased knowledge and skills across the generations serves to develop new strategies
for the family business (De Clercq & Belausteguigoitia, 2015; Muskat & Zehre, 2017).
According to Dyer, Nenque, and Hill (2014), the transference of knowledge through
business practices from one generation to the next creates human capital.
Dyer et al. (2014) described family capital as the human, social, and financial
resources the family members need to succeed in the business. The authors argued that
historically, in industries like the funeral business, owners passed on the secrets from one
generation to the next and gained competitive advantages within the industry. Dyer et al.
stated that family capital had a powerful influence on stakeholders because commitments
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made by families were likely to be more trusted, which provided a positive image and
excellent reputation for business.
Summary
In summary, an initial review of the literature revealed that the topic of succession
in family-owned businesses continues to make progress; however, family business
succession remains a complex and unpredictable process. Although family businesses
contribute to over 80% of the world's economy (Ward, 2016), the influences on a
successful succession are multifaceted and convoluted.
For example, there was no universal definition of family business among scholars.
Researchers indicated succession was a process; however, many scholars focused on the
obstacles which prevented succession within family-owned businesses. Succession
planning was necessary as a business practice because it facilitated the family business
success beyond the first generation.
More than 40% of family business leaders had a desire to name successors in the
next generation of their businesses (Cater et al., 2016). The findings from this research
indicated that strategic planning was not a priority for most family businesses. Therefore,
strategic choices and succession planning for privately held family businesses required
further study.
In succession planning, much of the research was not empirical and focused on
the managerial aspect of the business. There was limited use of existing models for
predicting outcomes with more reliable data that could provide researchers an
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opportunity to study the characteristics of successful transitions using a qualitative
approach. This literature review also contained research on critical elements, such as
family history, socioeconomic wealth, innovation, and transference of knowledge as
necessary for a successful family business succession.
The use of game theory as a concept to inspire strategic studies has limited
applications, but there were possibilities in the social and biological context for human
logic and reasoning for decision making. As noted in the literature, several authors had
applied game theory to fundamental concerns regarding family business succession. As a
tool, researchers could use game theory to analyze concepts used in social reasoning that
deal with situational decision making and conflicts; potentially making a connection
between real-life cases and theory.
Barros, Hernangómez, and Martin-Cruz (2016) argued that different generations
might have different perspectives and expertise for business, which could result in
uncertainty. Those uncertainties might impact family business performance and affect
other business stakeholders (Hamad, 2016). Researchers needed to contribute to family
business strategies involving succession by understanding the decision-making process
when owners were navigating the uncertainty when the incumbent made his or her exit
from the family business (Roundy, Harrison, Khavul, Pérez-Nordtvedt, & McGee, 2017).
Tsai, Lin, Lin, Lu, and Nugroho (2017) cautioned that the family decision-maker
might encounter uncertainties from both business and non-business environments. These
uncertainties made the decision-making process more challenging than for a nonfamily
77
organization. As the discussion among researchers continues, results may provide more
insight into family businesses and focus on successful succession strategies. The goal of
this study was to further theoretical understanding of family-owned funeral business and
its dynamics regarding the intergenerational transition.
Transition
Section 1 provided the foundation for the research study and a background for
understanding succession planning and the lack of strategies for family-owned funeral
businesses regarding intergenerational transitions. The primary objective of Section 1
was to introduce the study, background of the problem, problem statement, and the nature
of the study. The review of the literature provided a basis for describing, evaluating, and
synthesizing family succession literature by integrating the cognitive dimensions using
game theory as a conceptual framework.
Section 2 contains a discussion of the methodology and design that was used to
evaluate successful strategies used by successful family-owned businesses during
succession. I discuss in this section the requirements for the study participants and
population sampling methods related to this study criterion for data collection. The
details for data collection include the management and storage of data to ensure
congruence with the research question and goal of the study. Finally, Section 2 ends with
a discussion concerning reliability and validity to ensure quality standards comply with
doctoral research.
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In Section 3, I provide a discussion on the presentation of the findings related to
the literature and subject. Besides the interviews, the section contains a discussion of data
analysis relating to the research question and implications for social change as well as
recommendations for further study. Lastly, Section 3 ends with reflections during the
doctoral study journey and conclusion.
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Section 2: The Project
A qualitative case study approach was appropriate for examining successful
succession strategies in family-owned businesses. The following sections include the
additional components necessary for the study. The components are as follows: purpose
statement, the role of the researcher, the research method and design, population, and
sampling of data. Other elements introduced in this section are the data collection
instruments, techniques and analysis, reliability, and validity of the study.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore the strategies
that successful family-owned funeral business owners use for intergenerational
succession planning. The population included three funeral home business owners within
the Eastern US. This population was appropriate for this study because funeral homes
owned by families or individuals provide 86% of funeral business in the U.S. while 14%
of funeral business is corporate-owned (NFDA, 2017). The implications for social change
might serve other similar incumbent business owners by providing new knowledge
concerning succession strategies. The results may support planning for generational
sustainability and benefits for their communities through needed services and
employment.
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Role of the Researcher
The role of the researcher in a qualitative interview brings responsibility as the
instrument for data collection (Chan, Fung, & Chien, 2013). Serving as the instrument of
data collection as the researcher has the advantage of being on the inside; the purpose is
to bring understanding and the ability to establish intimacy, which might promote
truthfulness from the participants (Yin, 2016). Mertens (2015) argued other
responsibilities for a researcher included relevant aspects of self, personal bias and
assumptions, expectations, and experiences based on the researcher’s ability to conduct
the research.
According to Camfield, Duvendack, and Palmer-Jones (2014), bias is prevalent in
qualitative research because the researcher may tend to see a pattern where none exists.
Multiple cognitive and behavioral biases is a standard in all forms of research (Camfield
et al.). As the researcher, being in the funeral industry made me aware of bias during the
research; therefore, I discussed the necessary steps used to mitigate preconceived notions
that could affect the results of the data.
Furthermore, individuals could make assumptions about events he or she
remembered about vivid occurrences without clarification (Camfield et al., 2014). The
researcher should be cognizant of experimenter bias, which specifies that he or she might
have an attachment to a specific theory, therefore discounting other plausible arguments
(Camfield et al.). The goal was to evaluate the data as objectively as possible and draw
conclusions based on the evidence.
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A semistructured interview form was used to mitigate bias in the study. As the
researcher for this study, using a detailed journal was necessary to record progress during
the research process, and interview details were recapped with the study participants to
clarify ambiguous information. I maintained the confidentiality of the participants during
the research process, which included the data collection, data cleaning, and dissemination
of research results.
As the researcher, I was responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting
findings and conclusions derived from multiple resources. During the study, I was
accountable for the review of literature based on existing knowledge, research method
and design, and the selection of participants. Researching the quality of resources closely
related to the topic should increase reliability giving credibility to conclusions (Patton,
2015).
Furthermore, Yilmaz (2013) argued that researchers needed to state the
epistemological and theoretical foundations of the study to ensure good quality research.
As part of the research, I used in-depth investigation based on the method of inquiry to
generate insights into the presence of the phenomena and whether it was relevant to the
potential theoretical perspective. The author advised that existing theoretical concepts
may not underlie the existence of a phenomenon (Yilmaz, 2013).
Bettis et al. (2014) suggested the research study, methods, and techniques needed
to be done appropriately by using good judgment, while Denscombe (2014) had argued
that good sense and experience of the researcher be indicative of the sampling process.
82
According to Padgett (2016), sound judgment in the qualitative research included
awareness and acknowledgment of error.
A key objective of this study was reviewing the literature based on other
researchers who had conducted sampling under similar conditions and be aware of
limitations. However, the limited sample size would not necessarily invalidate the
findings (O’Reilly & Parker, 2013). Yu, Abrizah, and Saadat (2014) suggested by
choosing a data collection protocol to ensure that participants involved in relevant
activities coincided with an appropriate phase of the study and accommodate research
constraints. The establishment of a systematic, transparent process might be necessary to
allow the reader to judge whether the research method selected and decisions made
during the data collection were reasonable (Meyrick, 2006).
An interview process with a semistructured approach using open-ended questions
allows for soliciting responses and development of ideas while providing flexibility
(Edwards & Holland, 2013). As the interviewer, using this approach facilitated the ability
to probe topics and understand the lived experience and meanings that were relevant to
the research objectives. A one-on-one voice recorded personal interview helped to
capture responses and controlled the interview process.
The semistructured interviews and interview questions for each participant were
in the same order listed in the interview Protocol (Appendix B). The interview protocol
provides a systematic, comprehensive, and balanced approach for interviewing (Castillo-
83
Díaz & Padilla, 2013). The questions were prepared ahead of time to support a competent
interview.
As part of the moral responsibility to the participants of the study, being aware of
critical ethical issues was necessary to proceed with the study. Protecting the study
participant's privacy was of the utmost importance. To conduct a highly professional
study required maintaining a level of respect, care, and attention that the participants
expected. The principles of respect, benevolence, and justice in the Belmont Report
(1979) requires the participants understand the intent of the research and its potential
risks or benefits, and that he or she voluntarily consented to participate in the study
(United States Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 1979).
The Belmont Report (1979) establishes the gold standard definition of biomedical
research ethics as it defined the three ethical principles which protected the rights and
well-being of individual research participants. The first principle refers to individual
autonomy, which is respect for persons, meaning an individual should be treated as an
autonomous agent and must have sufficient information about the study. Potential
participants were able to decide whether they wanted to participate independently. The
show of respect included the participant’s viewpoint about the study.
The second principle is beneficence and nonmaleficence and is required so the
researcher could maximize benefits and minimize harm to research participants. As a
researcher, I ensured the individuals' well-being by carefully considering the risk-benefit
ratio of participation. Finally, the third principle is justice or the fairness principle which
84
requires that researchers equitably distribute the risks and benefits associated with
research across society (HHS, 1979; Mikesell, Bromley, & Khodyakov, 2013). I obtained
Walden University’s IRB approval number 05-24-18-0171069 and addressed each
principle during the research study.
Each potential participant was sent an email invitation stating the specifics of the
study and requested his or her participation to include the researcher’s contact
information. (see Appendix A). Confidentiality was assured, and answering any questions
regarding the study was either through email or telephonically. The participants were
made aware of their ability to withdraw at any point in time during the interview. Once
all signed informed consents were received, the interviews were scheduled. I informed
the participants all data collected would be secured, encrypted on a hard drive for 5 years.
After 5 years, I would erase all data upon expiration.
There was no personal relationship, nor did I have professional associations where
there are supervisory power influences over the participants or as the researcher. The
specified characteristics of participants were necessary to answer the research question to
meet the goals of this study. The topic of family-owned business succession strategies
was the area of interest because my having been in the funeral industry serving the
community for over 40 years.
The funeral business is a loyalty-based business; therefore, with the change in
demographics, the business owner faces a decrease in his or her client base (Bunch-
Lyons, 2015). Large corporations continue to acquire small family-owned funeral
85
businesses (Tamakloe, 2015). The interview process was aimed to collect sufficient
information-rich data that would contribute to social change. The family business owners
that lacked successful strategies might benefit from the success of small business owners
who have effectively transitioned their family-owned funeral business beyond the first
generation.
The credibility, authenticity, and integrity of the study were crucial. Because this
study involved emergent codes, themes, and concepts, it was essential to mitigate bias,
personal values, and judgment. Bracketing may be necessary to set aside any preference,
bracketing being the process of minimizing one's own bias and influence during the
research process (Chan et al., 2013).
To mitigate bias, as the researcher, a reflective journal was maintained throughout
the process of analysis to provide a measure of distance and bracketing of assumptions
served to reduce bias. Bernauer (2015) recommended implementing an oral coding
technique, which facilitated traditional methods by transforming qualitative data to
promote more authenticity and trustworthiness of findings. According to Bernauer,
listening to voice recordings over several days at a time and rereading interview notes
helps the researcher gain knowledge and reflect on what was heard and not heard.
Participants
The family-owned small business funeral home owners were the focus of this
multiple case study. The population for this study consisted of three business owners,
active and retired, who had successfully transitioned their business beyond the first
86
generation. Research participants came from a population of small family-owned funeral
businesses in the Eastern U. S. region.
The selection of participants was critical to this study; therefore, the source for
recruitment came from the membership of the NFDA and Nomis Publications from
which a list of funeral homes located throughout the US. The National Funeral Directors
Association (NFDA, 2017) identified several funeral homes in the Eastern region as
having succeeded beyond the first generation. Algozzine and Hancock (2016)
recommended that participants for a study should have knowledge and opinions to
provide insight regarding the research question.
To gain access and availability of the participants, I used the Nomis directory,
NFDA website, and social media to call or obtain the email address of participants to
obtain scheduling after IRB approval. I traveled to the selected funeral homes to conduct
face-to-face interviews with several participants in their natural environment. However, I
considered other alternate methods for interviews, such as Face Time and Skype because
of scheduling conflicts. Online interviews have emerged in qualitative research, by
helping a researcher improve in methodological understanding and the use of online
interviews in qualitative research (Silverman, 2016).
Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña (2014) recommended the researcher establish
ground rules for a study with multiple participants. Bell (2014) claimed that ground rules
reduced the possibility of conflict before the interview process. Another objective for the
researcher was to develop a relationship through interactions with the interviewee to
87
encourage dialogue. I employed a biographical approach using the following strategies to
encourage a working relationship: (a) maintained engagement with the respondent; (b)
kept track of questions for further probing; (c) repeated back answers to show respondent
that I was listening; (d) showed warmth, attentiveness, and humor when necessary; (e)
and maintained ethical sensitivity.
I gave each interviewee the purpose and intent of the research study to clarify any
questions before the interview. Obtaining consent from participants for anonymity and
confidentiality was a priority to ensure privacy. After the interview process, I followed up
with participants using member checking to confirm the accuracy and appropriateness of
the interview.
Research Method and Design
The three possible methods for research are qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods (Mertens, 2015). According to Yilmaz (2013), qualitative and quantitative are
the two major approaches to research appropriate for the study of the social and the
individual world. De Massis et al. (2014) argued that family business research required a
combination of perspectives and triangulation through multiple levels of analysis.
Qualitative studies continue to make essential contributions to family business research
providing strong, rich stories about family dynamics (Evert et al., 2016).
Research Method
A qualitative method is an approach for this study because the research involved
interactions of subjects in everyday life, which required examination in detail (Yin,
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2016). The focus of this study specified a phenomenon and its meaning for the
participants involved, and the processes that occurred in this setting made this method
suitable for the small family business owners in the funeral industry. A qualitative
research method was designed to study complex issues, specifically for this study, the
business problem relating to small business owners who lacked strategies concerning
intergenerational succession.
A qualitative method allows the researcher to have flexibility and enabled the
researcher to have an open mind while investigating the phenomena (Merriam & Tisdell,
2015). The role of the researcher is to understand the phenomena from the perspective of
the participants while seeking answers as to the what, how, and why questions regarding
quality instead of the amount, quantity, intensity, or frequency (Yilmaz, 2013). A
qualitative approach also allows the researcher to measure the quality of something
versus a quantity (Yin, 2014).
A quantitative approach is not suitable because qualitative findings are
significantly prolonged, more detailed, and unpredictable in content (Descombe, 2014). A
quantitative method could be used to determine whether a result was causally related to
one or more variables, and to what extent they are described using a deductive approach
and predetermined sets of standardized responses based on theory (Yilmaz, 2013).
However, for this study, using a quantitative method would not provide insight into the
participants' individual or personal experiences; therefore, the respondents would not
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have an opportunity to describe his or her feelings, thoughts, frames of reference, and
experiences resulting in limitations for the study.
Mixed methods research combines both qualitative and quantitative methods,
which could be beneficial if applied by a skilled researcher (Bryman, 2015). A mixed
method could provide an advantage to address broad complex issues (Venkatesh, Brown,
& Bala, 2013). Although mixed methods with a quantitative component could be a viable
choice to provide stronger credibility for the findings, time constraints and cost would not
make this a good fit for the study.
Research Design
A case study design is considered a flexible method which can produce
background information about an issue (Ritchie, Lewis, Nicholls, & Ormston, 2014). The
case study design is characterized as an empirical inquiry to explore real-life situations to
answer exploratory or descriptive research questions such as how or what (Yin, 2014).
The objective of this particular research design was to align with the research questions
and purpose of the study.
There are several approaches, such as ethnographic, narrative, or
phenomenological design to explore the research question (Marshall & Rossman, 2014).
An ethnographic case study is to observe day-to-day interactions including patterns of
behaviors, culture, and customs within groups. Ethnographic design requires the
researcher to immerse him or herself in the research, and the results included perceptions
and interpretations from both the researcher and participants (Hancock & Algozzine,
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2017). Ethnography would be ideal for targeting the specific culture regarding the funeral
industry; however, this study was not a good fit due to time constraints and possible
financial hardship for the researcher.
A narrative approach consists of biographical themes and patterns reflecting on an
individual's life for historical and archival purposes; therefore, this design does not align
with this study (Hancock & Algozzine, 2017). A phenomenological design aims at
capturing the experiences of individuals from their perspectives while uncovering themes
of invariant structures or underlying meanings based on those experiences; however, this
design would not allow for empirical generalizations (van Manen, 2016). Therefore, a
phenomenological design was not appropriate for this study.
To explore successful strategies for family business owners required an in-depth
examination through the lens of the participants. De Massis et al. (2014) proposed that a
case study design could be relevant to family business research because the family
business exists between two systems, family, and business. According to Yin (2014), a
case study would be the standard research design among business practitioners.
Because a case study is considered a flexible method design, multiple case studies
were employed to produce background information concerning successful strategies
related to intergenerational succession planning. A multiple case study design supports
the researcher's ability to examine the data within a specific context (Yin, 2014).
According to Stake (2013), a group of four to ten case studies would be beneficial for a
multiple case study.
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Multiple case studies provide a broader exploration of the research question and
conceptual framework evolution (Yin, 2014). The primary objective of this multiple case
study design was to explore the unique patterns of successful strategies that family
business owners use to transition beyond one generation to the next. The chosen design
was to provide a deeper understanding of the strategies regarding successful successions.
Choosing a multiple case study was an attempt to understand any similarities and
differences among the strategies business owners employ. Both elements may be
essential in generating new knowledge through the processes of comparison and contrast
(Palinkas et al., 2015). The researcher's ability to understand the phenomena based on
those similarities and differences facilitated in the generation of evidence, which
provided a significant contribution to research.
Case studies require multiple lines of evidence from numerous resources to
support external validity (Stake, 2013). Part of the research required data collection from
numerous sources of information; these included written documentation, interviews,
observations, and audio recordings with permission from the targeted population of
family business owners in the funeral industry. As a multiple case study design, the
sample needs to be structured around the context and not the participants themselves
(Ritchie et al., 2014).
Although study designs differ, the general rules regarding data saturation should
have enough information to replicate the study and no new data, themes, and coding was
feasible (Fusch & Ness, 2015). Hammarberg, Kirkman, and de Lacey (2016) argued a
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correlation needed to exist between adequate sampling and attaining saturation. In other
words, that depth, as well as breadth, of information contribute to saturation. The
research design should be crafted to deliver coherency and effectiveness to meet the
requirements for a study (Thorne, 2016).
The purpose of the central research question and interview questions is to develop
clustering themes, codes, and patterns to collect rich, quality data (Vaismoradi, Jones,
Turunen, & Snelgrove, 2016). Bendassolli (2013) suggested classifying and categorizing
data into categories for the organization and conceptual development. The same interview
questions among the participants for data collection were necessary to ensure data
saturation.
Population and Sampling
Purposeful sampling is appropriate for a case study because the number of case
studies was less significant than the criteria for selection (Yin, 2014). Sampling refers to
specific data sources from which data was collected to approach the research objectives
(Gentles, Charles, Poeg, & McKibbon, 2015). Sampling should be consistent with the
aims and assumptions inherent in the use of the qualitative method (Palinkas et al., 2015).
An applicable sample was composed of participants who best represented or had
knowledge of the research subject. Yin (2014) argued two or more case examples are
adequate to meet the research objectives; however, the selection of participants based on
criteria was at the discretion of the researcher. The criterion for the population sample
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was an incumbent family business owner (past or present) in the funeral industry selected
purposefully to yield cases that were information rich.
Family-owned funeral businesses identified as resources for sampling were in the
Eastern region of the United States. A purposeful sampling strategy included family
historical documentation, events, and experiences which emerged to identify conceptual
boundaries and relevance of categories. However, as a researcher, providing full details is
essential; otherwise, purposeful sampling would be difficult for the reader to judge the
trustworthiness of sampling (Elo et al., 2014).
An objective of the researcher was to ensure the sampling process was consistent
with the research method and design. A family-owned business for this study was
described using the following demographic characteristics: (a) funeral establishment; (b)
age of the business establishment; (c) past or present owner of the family-owned funeral
business, and (d) number of succeeding generations. As the researcher, I also identified
strengths and weaknesses that affected the number of interviews required to achieve
saturation. Some of the causes could be due to sampling procedures, the quality of the
interview, and the researcher's experience level.
For the sampling process, a researcher uses literature reviews based on previous
studies with similar methodology to cite problems, designs, and recommendations by
noted scholars (Marshall, Cardon, Poddar, & Fontenot, 2013). Hennink, Kaiser, and
Marconi (2017) noted that saturation in qualitative research was an indicator of an
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adequate sample size. According to Hennink et al., the meaning of saturation remains
ambiguous in practice.
The sampling strategy involved the identification and selection of the participants,
succession experience, and willingness to participate. The semistructured interview with
four participants answering all the questions and following the interviews, I did a recap of
the critical points with the participants. The use of member checking resulted in
redundancy that provided rich data to achieve saturation.
Edwards and Holland (2013) suggested a modification or the addition of cases to
the sample set could be necessary as the analysis of data progressed to achieve theoretical
saturation, which occurred when no further issues or insights emerged from data, and all
relevant conceptual categories were identified, explored, and exhausted. However, during
the coding process, the sample size might need to be increased to collect additional data
for redundancy of information (Saldaña, 2016). Patton (2015) specified that purposeful
sampling of information-rich cases could teach a great deal about issues of central
importance to the purpose of the inquiry. The choice of a sampling strategy required the
researcher to construct a comprehensive understanding concerning family business
owners and their strategies for intergenerational succession planning.
According to Padgett (2016), there might be a possibility that sampling would
change in response to the needs of the study. The author recommended the researcher to
keep in mind not to sacrifice depth for the breadth of the research. Therefore, as the
researcher, it was vital that I maintained flexibility when pursuing sampling goals.
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The data collection process needs to include a strategy, which establishes a
climate of comfort and trust; the process enables the participants to construct biographical
family history and express their thoughts and ideas to generate rich data (Kornbluh,
2015). The interview questions should be fact-based so that the participants could answer
what and how questions that facilitated dialogue, storytelling, and follow-ups to strategic
verbal and non-verbal clues guiding the interview (Tracy, 2013).
Ethical Research
Ethics provide moral principles which govern standards of conduct in research
and other disciplines (Resnik, 2015). These rules of ethics also referred to as standards,
which assist members of a particular discipline to coordinate their actions or activities,
establishing the public's trust based on those standards. Ethical norms provide goals for
research which include the individuals who conduct scientific research or other scholarly
or creative activities (Resnik, 2015).
The ethical norms of the research are to not only to provide autonomy but also to
be transparent, accountable, and honest in communicating methods, procedures, data,
results, and publication status (Resnik, 2015). As the researcher, I did not fabricate,
falsify, or misrepresent data. The notion of accountability and transparency provided
insight into fulfilling data requirements and expectations in various circumstances
(Mayernik, 2017).
As part of the research process, a researcher should remain objective by avoiding
bias in experimental design, data analysis, data interpretation, peer review, and other
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aspects of research (Resnik, 2015). I avoided or minimized bias or self-deception. Resnik
noted that having respect by giving authors credit for their intellectual property was
critical to the research.
During research activities, it was essential to maintain proper records to include
data collection, research design, journals, and correspondence of the funeral businesses.
The need to protect the confidentiality and privacy of the businesses and participants was
of the utmost importance. The participants received an informed consent form, which was
a full disclosure document explaining the purpose of the study, the interview procedure, a
confidential clause, and statement of consent for participants.
According to Bell (2014), the consent form reduces legal liability for the
researcher by indicating that participation is voluntary and the participant is allowed to
withdraw at any time before or during the interview. To avoid any hint of coercion, I did
not offer incentives for participation and gave each participant time to read through the
form and answer as many questions about consent as she or he needed to ask.
If the participant did not wish to sign the consent form, I did not conduct the
interview or attempt to compel them to grant consent. I politely thanked the individual for
their time, left them contact information, the consent form, and information about the
study. Sappleton (2013) argued that it is the responsibility of the researcher to allow each
participant the option to change their mind and reschedule for an interview if possible.
It was crucial, as the researcher to guarantee confidentiality and privacy. The
names of participants and the businesses were fictional to maintain confidentiality. I
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redacted information where applicable. Each funeral home business was assigned a
number to replace the funeral home identity, and the participants were assigned an
alphabetical letter to ensure confidentiality and privacy.
To ensure security from unauthorized access, all data, records, and files, including
informed consent forms and interview recordings, were stored on a flash drive that was
password-protected. I will store the password-protected flash drive for the next 5 years
after completion of the study. After the 5 years, erasing the magnetic hard drives of all
password-protected drives, consent forms, interview recordings, and transcribed data will
be destroyed.
Data Collection Instruments
The researcher serves as an instrument of data collection (Collins & Cooper,
2016). The primary data source was the interviews, which were conducted using
semistructured, open-ended questions. Interview questions facilitate the interviewees to
construct reality by pondering situations that provided rich data and not just answers to
the specific questions (Yin, 2014). The goal was to collect data relevant to answering the
research question.
In addition to the interview process, McGovern (2016) recommended the data
collection process should incorporate a range of data, including secondary sources of
evidence. Examples of secondary sources are direct observations, documents, succession
plans, and audiovisual materials. Padgett (2016) proposed using visual images to elicit
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responses from participants because people process images before spoken or written
language. The use of visual images was applied to the study to develop typologies.
As a first-time qualitative researcher, implementation of an interview protocol
guide (see Appendix B) was essential in data collection. The purpose of the interview
protocol is to facilitate the interview process for the researcher, the acknowledgment of
participants' rights, the interview guidelines, and a timeline (Bell, 2014). The interview
protocol includes a script for the researcher before the interview and, after the interview,
a prompt to ensure the interviewer had collected informed consent (Josselson, 2013).
Ritchie et al. (2014) argued that the researcher was required to decide the best
ways of collecting data in the research setting to permit meaningful and insightful
comparisons. Onwuegbuzie and Byers (2014) recommended that an interviewer should
research the knowledge of the indigenous community's customs, practices, beliefs, and
anything analogous to the family business when designing the interview. Miles et al.
(2014) suggested an appropriate physical location for the interview process would be a
professional business environment away from where the participants managed their day-
to-day business operations, events, processes, and procedures.
Collins and Cooper (2016) argued a researcher was an intricate part of the context
of a qualitative study; therefore, it was essential to develop an understanding of the study.
Collins and Cooper also claimed researchers needed to have a high level of aptitude and
emotional intelligence (EI) and characterized EI as the ability to monitor and regulate
feelings which helped guide thought and action using five essential competencies: self-
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awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. As the instrument of
data collection, the researcher’s level of EI aided in becoming familiar with and
understanding the norms, values, and culture of the participants.
Secondary data collection resources such as business documentation, family
historical artifacts, literature reviews, textbooks, and journals provided details relevant to
the topic of successful strategies and the research methodology. The collection of
secondary sources proves to be important in the exploratory phase of the research to help
answer the research question (Bendassolli, 2013). Reuse of previous qualitative data from
archived repositories and published citations provide an opportunity to study the raw
materials of past research projects to gain methodological and substantive insights
(Bishop & Kuula-Luumi, 2017).
As a qualitative researcher, it was necessary to evaluate the quality of the
research. Scientific rigor required various strategies to enhance the credibility of the
research (Kornbluh, 2015). The application of a methodological triangulation using
primary and secondary data sources is critical as a means of cross-referencing to increase
the credibility of the study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015).
The implementation of member checking is another tool for identifying bias and
misunderstanding for the researcher (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). Member checking allows
the researcher to ask the participants to edit, clarify, elaborate, and at times, delete their
words from the transcripts which ensured the reliability of the research findings (Bryman,
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2015). Member checking also ensured that the participants understood the purpose of this
study.
Data Collection Technique
Triangulation of evidence from multiple sources is necessary for validating that
the study's finding is robust (Yin, 2014). Individual interviews and focus group
interviews represent two of the most effective ways to collect data in qualitative research
studies because these allow the researcher to capture the voices of participants (Ritchie et
al., 2014). Utilizing semistructured interviews as a means to collect the data collection
enabled me to obtain insight into the routine and challenging experiences as well as the
meanings attached to experiences lived by the participants.
Semistructured interviews were used to keep the theme of the research but follow-
up questions were utilized to confirm and clarify information. Interviews represent the
most common way of collecting data in qualitative research studies; this included verbal
and nonverbal data during the interview process (Silverman, 2016). According to
Onwuegbuzie and Byers (2014), 93% of humans communicate nonverbally, while 7% of
communication is verbal.
Hopefully, I was able to identify and evaluate the necessary skills and knowledge
base for strengths and weaknesses for the interview process. Open-ended interview
questions (see Appendix B) and use of a script were essential to facilitating a successful
study. The role of the researcher is to present the interview questions and filter
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subjectivity and address the central research question for this study (Merriam & Tisdell,
2015).
Online interviews in real-time, which included visual contact, was a possibility to
save time for this study. The advantage is to avoid costs and inconvenience for both
parties (Denscombe, 2014). The goal was to conduct a face-to-face interview; however,
an on-site interview required the interviewer to schedule an appointment. The on-site
interview became a challenge to the researcher because each participant had to find time
in his or her schedule, which was sometimes beyond the control of the researcher.
The interview questions were structured to facilitate asking multiple participants
the same questions. The interview process was an estimated 50 to 60 minutes. Otherwise,
the researcher may not be able to achieve data saturation (Fusch & Ness, 2015).
Saturating data ensures replication in categories and sustains transferability, credibility,
confirmability, and dependability (Akaeze & Akaeze, 2016).
Supplemental data should provide clarity and understanding to corroborate the
collected data (Tight, 2017). In the case of this study, secondary sources of data
including, pictures, artifacts, biographical, and historical records provided by each funeral
business were used to supplement the interviews and observations. A rigorous and ethical
approach to data collection was employed.
Data recording included noting the method used to contact potential respondents,
the number of times, and location. Other information collected was the number of people
approached for the study and the number of individuals that participated. Merriam and
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Tisdell (2015) suggested it might be necessary for the researcher to adjust during the
interview process to allow for the design of the study to emerge in the research. Ritchie et
al. (2014) proposed the researcher should oscillate between testing emergent theories and
collecting data that would allow the theory and data collection to inform each other.
I provided the information collected from the different participants, different
locations, and different circumstances; therefore, audio recordings of the interviews
transcribed and copies to participants via email. Member checking was used to ensure the
accuracy of interviews with participants. I did not receive any recommendations from the
participants regarding their transcriptions.
Data Organization Technique
The data should be organized as it was gathered so that the stages of data analysis
were integrated into making comparisons and identifying differences (Ritchie et al.,
2014). The organization of the data included the preparatory phase, the organization
phase, and reporting phase. To ensure the trustworthiness of the content analysis, Elo et
al. (2014) recommended starting by selecting the best data collection method to answer
the research question.
I aimed to organize the data to achieve consistency. Therefore, the preparatory
phase consisted of data collection method, sampling strategy, and the selection of
interviews, observations, journals, photographs, other written documents, and memos as a
combination of various methods. The collection of data allowed me to identify recurrent
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themes, categories, observe patterns, and identify related themes to answer the research
question.
The organization phase provided details regarding the concepts or categories
created to ensure the trustworthiness of the study. By using data, triangulation allowed
me to compare information obtained with the literature reviews relating to previous
studies. The reporting phase introduced the findings, which included the limitations and
recommendations of the study.
Data collection is an ongoing iterative activity and a critical aspect of qualitative
research (Merriam & Tisdell, 2015). Data organization aided the researcher in exploring
the personal meanings of crucial moments by examining facets such as speech
mannerisms, non-verbal communication habits, and valuable points of cultural
knowledge (Saldaña, 2016). The transcription of the data facilitated the identification of
patterns, developed explanations, and typologies.
A preliminary analytic step was to map context, meanings, and processes to
establish themes and categories. The analytical phase produces detailed descriptions and
understandings from the perspective of the participants (Ritchie et al., 2014). Watkins
(2017) recommended the use of appropriate tools to organize, reduce, and analyze data.
The use of a database is considered practical for indexing, organizing, and
annotating field notes, transcripts, archival documents, reflexive journal entries, and other
materials relevant to the study (Hancock & Algozzine, 2016; Saldaña, 2016; Silver &
Lewins, 2014). The implementation of a strategy to index documents is appropriate for
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organizing the data for transparency, perusal, auditing and cross-referencing with other
sources related to the study (O’Reilly & Parker, 2012). Computer-aided software for
qualitative research facilitates transcribing interview text, graphics, audio, and visual
material (Edwards & Holland, 2013). Using computer-aided tools helps streamline the
data process and assisted in the preparation of a clear and organized presentation
(Watkins, 2017).
The organization of a researcher’s ideas is critical in analytical work, regardless
of the methodology (Silver & Lewins, 2014). All data relevant to the study were kept
strictly confidential. The data collection abided by compliance with the requirement of
keeping the data on an encrypted password-protected computer hard drive for 5 years,
with a backup file to mitigate the risk of data loss. After 5 years and according to
University protocol, all data relevant to this study would be shredded, erased, and or
incinerated, depending on the material source.
Data Analysis
Miles et al. (2014) suggested that data analysis should begin with organized
record keeping and monitoring of notations during the study. The use of inductive
exploration of the data allows the researcher to identify emerging themes, patterns, or
concepts and then describe and interpret those categories (Nassaji, 2015). The analysis
should include not only the procedural steps, but also decisions concerning ways to
manage the data, the analysis operations involved, preliminary conclusions to which the
investigation led, and any concluding comments (Miles et al., 2014).
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The semistructured questions of the participants were organized using the same
questions and in the same order to enable coding of the text based on relevance. The goal
was to validate the findings through multiple case studies of the generational business
owners. The data collected from the semistructured interviews may fill a gap in family
business knowledge about succession strategies and issues the participants expressed
through observations, perceptions, and reactions from the lived experiences.
By achieving empirical saturation, the results should be analyzed with existing
literature using interpretative reasoning (Meier & Schier, 2016). The use of the computer-
aided software assisted in categorizing themes, interpretation of results and presentation
of data to answer the research question. Qualitative data analysis software, NVivo, is a
well-established tool used to support data analysis (Woods, Paulus, Atkins, & Macklin,
2015).
The NVivo software facilitates the analysis of raw data collected from interviews
to identify themes and clusters based on each participant’s experience (Bazeley &
Jackson, 2013; Nowell, Norris, White, & Moules, 2017). Syed and Nelson (2015)
suggested an extensive list of codes may be required for an inductive generation to search
for key themes informed by existing literature on the subject. NVivo provided a modeling
tool which allowed the researcher to map concepts, patterns, and relationships to clarify
the research question.
The visualization tools within NVivo helped to provide the ability to understand
the triangulation of data using interviews transcriptions from audio recordings,
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participant observations, historical pictures, biographical documents, and journaling into
categorizing into themes. By applying the triangulation of data as a strategy for
validation, is an approach to the generalization of analyses, and a route to further
knowledge (Flick, 2004). Finally, coding queries derived from the literature reviews
assisted in linking relationships to the data analysis establishing a pattern. Overall, the
goal was to construct emergent themes, decontextualize, and reconceptualize through
transcribed recordings, direct observations, existing literature, and the conceptual
framework, game theory by providing consistency from the various patterns to determine
whether the research was credible.
The introduction and explanation of the results were essential in producing a
coherent and meaningful understanding of what strategies the family-owned funeral
business owners used for intergenerational succession planning. Therefore, presenting
clear descriptions using transcription and coding yielded insight. Hopefully, this would
assist the reader in understanding what assumptions I used to form the analysis.
Reliability and Validity
Reliability
Reliability in qualitative research refers to the dependability and consistency
reflected when the research findings are replicated or duplicated (Morse, 2015).
However, Lincoln and Guba (1985) maintained that dependability occurred over time
through observation and under varying conditions. Funder et al. (2014) argued that
research studies could be impossible to replicate, therefore, to avoid questionable
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research practices, the researcher used appropriate analytic strategies, share data, and
complete reporting of results.
The application of the triangulation of data and other resources provides the
researcher with a broader picture and an understanding of the phenomena (Jentoft &
Olsen, 2017). An in-depth interview using the interview protocol (Appendix B)
throughout the research process served to address dependability and credibility. The
semistructured interview questions allowed for flexibility to raise questions during the
interview based on the interviewees' responses; the follow-ups provided depth in the
responses to ensure trustworthiness. The implementation of member checking with the
interviewees was to capture the meanings of their lived experiences correctly.
Validity
Chen (2017) described validity as to the degree to which evidence, either
empirical or theoretical, supported the interpretation of the data. The criteria for validity
included member checking, audit trail, prolonged engagement, peer debriefing, and
disconfirming evidence (Lub, 2015). Chen argued that the application of validity
procedures of qualitative inquiry required an investment of time and energy.
According to the literature, there was no universally accepted terminology and
criteria used to evaluate qualitative research. Elo et al. (2014) noted that it was essential
to report how the results developed. The criterion determined the findings to be valid or
generalizable. Credibility, transferability, and confirmability establish the trustworthiness
of study findings (Morse, 2015).
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In qualitative research, credibility is related to the affirmation of valuable and
believable study results (Noble & Smith, 2015). The credibility of the researcher is vitally
important in qualitative research since he or she was the primary instrument of data
collection and analysis during the study (Denscombe, 2014). I enhanced credibility using
strategic methods such as member checks, triangulation of the data, peer debriefing, and
examinations from previous literature.
Member checking with the participants as reiterated was necessary to enhance the
study's credibility through the reaffirmation of the participants' interview to confirm
answers. The application of triangulation of various data collected allows for greater
confidence to reduce unforeseeable associations and biases due to specific methods (Lub,
2015). I employed peer debriefing to enable peers and academic professionals to
scrutinize the study, offer feedback, and challenge assumptions. Finally, literature from
previous studies that were related to strategies about intergenerational succession was
used to find commonalities and evidence to strengthen validity.
Transferability or external validity is the generalizability of a study’s results
which includes rich descriptions of participants, contexts, and attributes (Lub, 2015).
Furthermore, high external validity is desirable because conclusions from a study can be
applied to situations beyond the immediate context, increasing the scope of a theory’s
prediction and control (Brigham, Lumpkin, Payne, & Zachary, 2014). The goal was to
provide ample data for another researcher to duplicate this study. Although the authors
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offered suggestions about transferability, according to Elo et al. (2014), it is the reader’s
discretion as to if the reported results could transfer to another context.
Confirmability of the data parallels objectivity, which includes a level of
accuracy, meaning, and integrity of the research results as verified or endorsed by others
(Elo et al., 2014). Yin (2014) argued that using an audit trail consisting of journals and
other documentation during the study allowed others to observe the step-by-step
procedures. As the researcher, I used data triangulation methods, which involved the use
of multiple sources for data collection, including semistructured interviews, audio files,
archival and other company documents, and reflective journal records. Triangulation
enables the researcher to explore the same phenomenon from different angles and
perspectives, which ensured the validity of the study findings (Fusch & Ness, 2015).
The goal was to have a relevant number of case studies to provide sufficient data
to ensure meaningful saturation. Collecting data and analyzing them simultaneously until
no new information emerged was the guiding process for achieving data saturation.
Although data saturation was complicated, the final study included the process of
assessing saturation.
Transition and Summary
Section 2 of this study established the purpose of this study, identified the role of
the researcher, and included a description of the participants. I further discussed and
elaborated the rationale for selecting a qualitative methodology and multiple cases study
design over other methods and designs. This section included descriptions of the (a)
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population, (b) sampling technique, (c) ethics, (d) data collection, (e) data organization,
(f) data analysis, and (g) reliability and validity.
Section 3 consists of an in-depth discussion of the findings of the completed
research and the importance of the results to professional practice. The discussion in
Section 3 also addresses the aspects of social change, recommendations for actions and
further study, and reflections. The research concludes with limitations and suggestions
for future studies.
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Section 3: Application to Professional Practice and Implications for Change
Introduction
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful
strategies used by funeral home business owners related to succession having transferred
their businesses to the next generation. Section 3 includes the presentation of the
findings, applications to professional practice, implications for social change,
recommendations for action, recommendations for further research, reflections of the
study, and study conclusions. The findings include six themes: (a) family succession
value, (b) theoretic game, (c) game players, (d) strategies, (e) payoff rewards, and (f)
outcomes, as well as correlating themes to the literature related to the succession process.
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful
strategies family-owned funeral business owners used for intergenerational succession
planning. From the literature, the succession process had a different meaning among
family business owners, which may be the reason that the literature indicated succession
rates have not changed from generation to generation. The literature confirmed that
succession strategies had become a focus of attention in the study of family businesses
because the rate of survival beyond the second generation was approximately 15% and a
third generation was less than 3% (Bozer et al., 2017). The aim is to bring awareness
concerning intergenerational succession strategies through the lens of an incumbent
business owner.
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Examining the successful strategies related to intergenerational succession may
prove to be socially relevant to the family business owner, based on his or her intentions
regarding succession planning. The decision to succeed to the next generation does
require an understanding of factors which influence those decisions since the literature
had suggested that succession depended on the actions of others. Furthermore, the
incumbent must be willing to select and mentor a successor for the business to continue.
A multiple case study design was selected to draw on the experiences of specific
family-owned funeral business owners regarding those successful strategies to answer the
research question. Yin (2017) argued a multiple case study could be more compelling
mainly if the theory was subtle or desired more certainty. Therefore, an assumption was
made to reduce the amount of uncertainty by collecting applicable data relevant to the
study.
During the study, there was an emphasis on the components instrumental to
family-owned business succession strategies with a focus on the incumbent’s and
successor’s intent regarding succession. By using the conceptual framework of game
theory as a guide could lead to what strategies influenced the incumbent and successor’s
decision to pursue his or her interests rationally and possible outcome based on their
choices (Colman, 2013). Stirling and Felin (2016) characterized rationality based on
behavior from a social perspective, which might include human intentions such as
cooperation, compromise, and altruism, or antisocial motives to include conflict,
meanness, and manipulation.
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The study included six semistructured interview questions (see Appendix B)
concerning successful strategies. The researcher’s objective was to identify successful
strategies by drawing on those experiences based on the interview questions, the research
question, and central themes from the literature review. The results of this study included
the successful strategies that family-owned funeral business owners used for
intergenerational succession.
Presentation of the Findings
This research study sought to answer the following question: what strategies do
the family-owned funeral business owners use for intergenerational succession planning?
The objective of the study was to seek insight into the interactions of the incumbent and
whether his or her intentions led to successful strategies that supported funeral business
intergenerational succession. After seeking IRB approval, a search through the National
Funeral Directors (NFDA) website and Nomis Publications was utilized to seek the
necessary participants for this study.
Although the process of searching became a bit time-consuming, it was necessary
to target specific funeral businesses to meet the criteria. The website searches identified
generational funeral homes based on their websites’ historical and biographical
information. Invitations (Appendix A) to participate in the study were sent by email
through the website contact information link.
The findings derived from the interviews and observations during a two-month
period. Approximately 30 invitations (Appendix A) were emailed to funeral
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establishments requesting study participation. Other invitations (Appendix A) were sent
out through funeral association groups on Facebook, Messenger, and cold calling by
telephone using the Nomis Yellow Book directory.
The responses received were very minimal or nonexistent for the first three
weeks. Follow-up emails were sent, producing only two solid leads for interviews. Cold
calling by telephone resulted in five interview acceptances, but only two confirmed and
scheduled an interview. Ultimately, the total number of participants in the case study was
four.
The use of the Internet has its advantages sending out invitations, which provides
a lower cost, administrative ease, and the potential of reaching a more significant sample;
however, not all participants may be computer literate (Hunter, Corcoran, Leeder, &
Phelps, 2012). Yin (2018) recommended navigating with caution by setting time limits
when using social media to avoid being overwhelmed. A telephone interview is another
option, but considered a less attractive alternative to the face-to-face interview (Novick,
2008).
The nature of the funeral business created a challenge in securing face-to-face
interviews. The disadvantages of face-to-face interviews included the high cost per
participant, geographical and time constraints associated with traveling (Heath,
Williamson, Williams, & Harcourt, 2018). Overall, when considering the effect of
participating in research, it was essential to acknowledge the potential impact on those
involved, including the researcher, because of a lack of training and inexperience, and
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possible concerns regarding confidentiality (Dickson-Swift, James, Kippen, &
Liamputtong, 2009).
Purposeful sampling for participate selection was necessary to obtain in-depth,
information-rich responses. The intent for purposeful sampling used in this study was to
provide successful replication contributing to generalizability. Polit and Beck (2010)
argued that using concepts, relationships, and patterns, which tend to develop redundancy
by interviewing different types of people as they identify with similar human
experiences, enhanced generalizability.
The research study aimed to collect data which were representative of the
population. Alphabetical codes were used rather than names to identify the individual
participants to ensure confidentiality and privacy. All data files were anonymized and
securely stored as required.
Six interview questions (see Appendix B) were provided to each participant by
email before the actual interview took place. Once the participants acknowledged receipt
and emailed agreement, the informed consent was forwarded for signature and returned
to the researcher. During the initial interview process, the researcher reminded the
participants of confidentiality, no compensation, the ability to opt out of the study, and
safeguarding of all research data and materials.
The participants for this study were instrumental in their core businesses and
responsible for managing day-to-day business operations. The six open-ended
semistructured interview questions facilitated a discussion among the participants based
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on the study criteria related to the research question. All direct quotations by participants
were utilized to ensure the interpretation of the data directly linked to their words. I asked
permission to audio record each session. Each interview with the participants was
transcribed verbatim and stored as word documents for analysis.
Qualitative inquiry requires researchers to know credibility techniques well
enough to apply and synthesize them to help justify their findings (Laio & Hitchcock,
2018). Member checking is wherein the participant is asked to review the interview
transcription to confirm the accuracy of data before coding and analysis, and after the
final analysis to validate interpretations of the data (Goldblatt, Karnieli-Miller, &
Neumann, 2011). Therefore, I employed member checking to clarify the interview
responses of the participant to include thoughts, observations, and experiences as
confirmation to enhance accuracy, credibility, and validity of this qualitative case study
findings.
The interviewees were asked to share experiences by providing successful
strategies used regarding succession that might help future and existing family-owned
funeral business owners in search of long-term strategies for transitioning to the next
generation. The sample size should reach the number of participants sufficient to meet
data saturation standards (Fusch & Ness, 2015). Data saturation was complete when
information became redundant producing no new categories or themes. Overall, the goal
was to link these results with the concepts and findings identified in the literature using
interpretative reasoning (Bengtsson, 2016).
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Table 2
Participant Demographics
Funeral
Home
Case
Study
Year
Established
Number of
Successions
Gender Primary Role Participant
Case 1 1902 5 M/F Incumbent/Child A/B
Case 2 1938 4 M Retired Owner C
Case 3 1952 3 M Incumbent D
Table 2 above represents demographic information regarding the cases in this
study. The participants were funeral home incumbents ranging in age from 59 to 74
years. One adult child participated in the interview process. Based on the number of
generations of the funeral businesses, the average intergenerational succession occurred
every 22.8 years.
Theme 1: Family Succession Values
Santiago (2000) described a smooth succession as not being uniquely dependent
on succession planning, but instead on the succession process being consistent with
family values. Le Breton-Miller et al. (2004) observed that a successful succession was
the achievement of the subsequent positive performance of the business and ultimate
sustainability of the business. Beginning with the findings, the participants in this study
delineated the value of succession by identifying essential components related to
successful intergenerational succession.
The components identified by the participants were governance, management,
family, and family legacy. Although the participants mentioned business performance
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relative to financial gain, the findings indicated continuity of the business based on the
family legacy to be most significant. Stockmans, Lybaert, and Voordeckers (2010)
argued that the founder and his or her legacy were central to a business’ strategy setting
and decision-making processes.
Case studies one and two (A, B, and C) stated the family business strategy for
succession required the business to be purchased by the succeeding generation. In case
study three (D), a third generationer stated he had expected his sons and daughter to join
the business; however, they indicated a lack of interest because of the lack of personal
time and the commitment that was vital to the funeral industry. The 24-hour on-call
concept of funeral service was not appealing. Participants A and D shared concerns about
the inability to take family vacations or the overbearing incumbent from a prior
generation.
Based on the interviews, the incumbents’ focus was on the younger generation to
continue the family legacy that each had built to leave behind as a reminder of, not just
the business, but himself. These findings suggested families that assimilated with a
legacy might provide a greater understanding of why and when intangible components of
wealth such as control, tradition, and social status are highly valued (Carr et al., 2017).
The importance of the legacy established that nonfinancial concerns might influence
strategic decisions in the family business.
According to the literature, successive generations want the security of the income
that comes with grand lifestyle activities, but from the business perspective, Hiebl (2014)
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concluded this could pose a threat to family business. Case study one (A) stated the
previous generation were riding in nice cars and going to Cancun, while he was stuck
working the holidays, overnight calls and weekends, maintaining that was not going to
happen for the rest of his life. Ward (2016) proposed that a change in ownership plans
require different strategies. However, family members’ assumptions and their ownership
intentions contoured the components related to business strategy.
Cubico, Togni, and Bellotto (2010) claimed values were the fundamental
component of the family business. Ward (2008) described values as an independent
driving variable which shaped every dimension of family business management.
However, from a family business perspective, Dumas and Blodgett (1999) contended that
values answer the question of what was most important to the family, while core values
were the deep-seated pervasive standards that influenced almost every aspect of their
lives. Dumas and Blodgett also stated that one must include an individual’s moral
judgments, their responses to others, and their commitments to personal and
organizational goals.
From a strategic point of view, the participants indicated specific values were
necessary to create the organizational culture of the family business. According to
Corbetta and Salvato (2004), values created an overlap between business and family
commitment which helped to develop a family business culture. Also, Sharma and
Nordqvist (2008) maintained that long sustaining family businesses were the result of a
fit between family values and governance structure.
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Case study two (C) stated the first generation set ground rules for the family
businesses, but in case study one (A and B), the family business held a corporate license
which was governed by a family board. Two of the case studies (A and D) stated prior
generations made it clear that family members would be involved in the business.
Poza (2013) argued that, inherently, the founder should establish ground rules to
set the culture of the business. Neubauer and Lank (2016) agreed that creating a
governance system could preserve the culture and values of a business. According to Lee
and Chu (2017), family governance aims to facilitate family control, business and
sustaining performance.
Meanwhile, the findings suggested that a level of control by previous incumbents
might have an association with family values among the family-owned funeral
businesses. The findings also revealed the participants did not identify family governance
as a strategic objective in sustaining the family-owned business but rather as the purview
of overbearing business owners. Carney (2005) argued a family business gained a
strategic benefit when they rely on a form of governance based on personalized
relationships, family influence and, most importantly, alignment of interests between
dominant decision makers who include, most likely, in each of these cases, the business
owner.
The participants’ backgrounds varied regarding intergenerational succession. Case
study one (incumbent A and adult child B) acknowledged they currently work for the
family business, established in 1904. Participant B stated, at a younger age, her father
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(Participant A) articulated his desire for her and her brother to be a part of the funeral
home, but, while she and her brother were required to work in the business, to own it,
they had to prove that each could manage the business.
Participant B from case study one, a fifth generationer, had recently decided to
join the family business after unsuccessful outside ventures. Although her older sibling
had been in the family business for some time, Vera and Dean (2005) argued daughters
face difficulties in family business succession because of a general preference for the
oldest offspring (regardless of gender) to take over the business. Lambrecht (2005)
proposed examples set by parents or siblings usually determine whether the children
embraced or rejected the family business.
Meanwhile, case study one (A and B) stressed that being in their family business
was not guaranteed. The succession of their business was contingent upon the ability to
finance the business from generation to generation. However, studies have shown that
debt financing done by one generation could have an impact on future generations
(Molly, Laveren, & Deloof, 2017).
Case study two (C) has a family business established in 1938, with the fourth
generation now in charge, and case study three (D) established their family-owned
business in 1952. Of the three case studies, two case studies (C and D) inherited the
family business, although, as mentioned, the third case study (D) did not have offspring
working in the business at the time of the interview. Van Aaken et al. (2017) claimed
most family-owned business surviving at least two generations are typically sizable and
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established, whereas, by the third generation, the interests of the family tend to diverge,
weakening the family bond.
Other values mentioned in the three case studies (A, C, and D) spoke to family
relationships, socioeconomic wealth, shared experiences, and business performance.
During the study, the participants indicated having a positive performance of the family
business was necessary for providing the resources to ensure survivability to the next
generation. However, the intent of this study was not to examine whether there was a
connection between family values and business performance.
From the research, the management of family businesses had significant strategic
implications. The literature stated a family business does evolve; therefore, the strategy
and the priorities required changing. Furthermore, regarding the managerial processes
and structures, the business should attract and develop the leadership of the potential
successor, while planning and implementing effective long-term strategies (Aronoff,
2004).
Also, based on the literature, there was still ambiguity surrounding the
generational aspect of the ownership structure regarding how it evolved. Le Breton-
Miller et al. (2004) claimed it was strategically crucial to determine who might be
acceptable as the next suitable successor. Because of the findings, a pattern emerged
indicating each successor was nurtured across generations to take over the family-owned
funeral business.
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According to the findings, the family-owned funeral business succession process
was found to be consistent with Le Breton-Miller et al.’s (2004) four main stages: (a)
establishing ground rules, (b) nurturing and developing potential successors, (c) selection,
and (d) the final hand-off to the chosen successor. The results were consistent with
Poza’s (2013) description of family culture as it encapsulated the values, beliefs, and
governance which influenced how the individual and the business operated when
confronted with decisions, choices, opportunities, and risks. Finally, from the research, it
became apparent that a repetition of a continuous time interval of succession among the
three case studies occurred approximately every 20 to 23 years.
Theme 2: The Game
The game is fundamentally a formal system of rules with varying outcomes
depending on values and players’ influence according to their behavior resulting in
consequences that are optional and transferable (Démuth, 2013). Démuth proposed that
strategic decisions based on a situation often result in not knowing how one player would
act, assuming all players involved used rational strategies of behavior. Therefore, game
theory may determine situations that required negotiations between players.
The case studies presented were intended to research the incumbents’ intentions
based on his or her strategy regarding succession to the next generation, by providing a
model for future decision-making for unsuccessful family-owned funeral home
businesses. Game theory is a complex process, but the literature indicated because we
live in a world of systems, it can help with various skills that involved systems such as
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decision-making and problem-solving. From the findings, the game theory had some
implications for a possible framework regarding decisions relative to successful
strategies.
Although the game theory was initially related to mathematics, Camerer (2003)
argued that mapping social situations to game theory were useful because it helped to
know what to look for in strategic interactions to change the game to one’s advantage. In
the three cases studied, each incumbent had sought what was best in his or her situation.
Regarding game theory, Turocy and von Stengel (2001) referred to a situation as a game
since the individuals involved made decisions based on how they value the possible
outcomes of those decisions.
The game required each incumbent to define their goals, evaluate their relative
importance, assess costs and benefits for each desirable course of action related to their
succession strategy (Camerer, 2003). According to Blumentritt et al. (2012), decisions
made at earlier points in the game affected the possible strategies for later rounds. The
literature referred to the later rounds of the game as being repetitive; therefore, the game
theoretic model could correlate to the succession process as family-owned businesses
transition across generations.
In each of the case studies, the incumbent stated during their formative years;
previous generations set the game rules or governance specifying the business and family
priorities. The findings showed that as potential successors observed the incumbent over
time, he or she waited to see the outcome of the previous game before deciding to join the
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business. The results also indicated these family-owned funeral businesses reiterated
succession over time, based on the strategies from past generations.
From the information players are given about the strategies chosen by others,
another player made his or her move contingent on the other player’s past moves.
Because of this pattern of repetition, one might argue that there may be a possible
relationship to the game theory since a player decided his or her intentions regarding
succession based upon what another player had done in the past. The literature
characterized this as a dynamic game theory (Fundeberg & Levine, 2016).
Using game theory as a tool to model and understand complicated interactions,
the theoretic model divides into two categories; cooperative and non-cooperative
(Farooqui & Niazi, 2016). The game theory concept would consider the incumbent and
successor being a cooperative two-person game, primarily for decision making because
each participant needed to know the other’s intent for mutual benefit (Kelly, 2003). The
analysis indicated a cooperative game among the participants was the result of an early,
bilateral decision based on the successor and the incumbent’s intention.
Therefore, the cooperative game for a family member who decided to succeed the
family-owned funeral business made a strategic alliance with the incumbent early to
further the continuity of the business. The strategic alliance was the result of the
incumbent and successor making a commitment that required cooperative behavior,
which enabled both players the opportunity to achieve their mutually compatible goals.
Several literature reviews implied that, if the previous generation offered opportunities
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which aligned with the personal needs and career interests of the successor, he or she
would most likely take over the family business (Sharma et al., 1997).
Participant B from case study one had decided to live life according to her terms
based on her needs and, during her formative years, had no incentive to serve as the next
generation in the family business. The findings indicated this as a non-cooperative game.
The disinterested family member had a goal in mind which involved his or her self-
interest, not considering the intentions of the incumbent.
Another example based on the evaluation of case study three (D) stated that his
children were not currently interested in being the fourth generation because of the
required commitment to the family business. The findings were in alignment with the
noncooperative game as participant D’s children’s intentions not to join the business now
were contingent upon the previous game played by their father. Since the funeral business
was complicated and time-consuming, the successor saw no incentive for long-term
planning. Furthermore, if the incumbent made a unilateral decision about the business, it
would, therefore, result in no mutual benefit for either player.
Blumentritt et al.’s (2012) model described game theory from a strategic
management standpoint, specifying games under certain conditions with possible
strategies. The game was considered useful to frame a problem or situation. According to
Blumentritt et al., once the game was specified, the rules were applied, and the players
did not change.
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Based on the evidence, the incumbents made known his or her strategic intention
regarding future generational succession. The findings revealed that the incumbents
intended to pass their businesses on to their children, which related to Lindquist, Sol, and
Van Paag’s (2015) argument that having a parent as an entrepreneur increased the
probability of the birth children becoming entrepreneurs by 60%. However, the analysis
in this study showed some family members, although expected to do so, had no interest in
succeeding in the family funeral business.
According to the literature, the game was about decisions; therefore, individuals
made decisions according to their preferences based on the value of the expected
outcome of those decisions (Colman, 2013). Case study one (A) stated that his
grandfather controlled the business up until he was 95 years of age. Participant A’s father
had died while he was attending Mortuary College.
Therefore, it was up to Participant A to make the best move for himself.
Information given to participant A during his grandfather’s generation determined his
strategy since his father, the third generation, was now deceased. Participant A did not
know whether it was the best move but, hopefully, it would benefit both him and his
grandfather.
Case study two (C) stated he was not interested in the family business because he
worked for the federal government and knew his family could not match his salary. Case
study three (D) knew he was destined to be a mortician from his early childhood. The
game theory, therefore, incorporated not only rationality but also common knowledge
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assumptions, which enabled each potential successor to anticipate the incumbent’s
strategy regarding the succession process.
According to Michael-Tsabari (2013), a non-cooperative game could defer the
succession process. Therefore, case study three (D), who had no children currently
working in the business, might need to reshape his strategy of the game for his next
generation. More importantly, the literature indicated that to succeed in a family-owned
business, the incumbent would inherently need to create value to stay in the game.
Theme 3: The Players
Blumentritt et al.’s (2012) model described game theory from a strategic
management standpoint, specifying games under certain conditions with possible
strategies. Although Nowak and Sigmund (2004) agreed from a biological standpoint, the
game theory application could become an issue when it came to selecting a family
member. The outcome of strategic interactions could be affected by preferential treatment
(Nowak & Sigmund). Conflict and sibling rivalry within the family can become an issue
creating distention which may affect family harmony (Jayantilal, Jorge, & Bañegil,
2016).
Although the research indicated each incumbent communicated his or her intent
to pass on the family business early in the game, how did the incumbent get those family
members to cooperate and buy into the game? The rationale of game theory might
indicate the mere fact we are all players in the game of nature (Birner, 2015), the reason
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being, as Gutierrez et al. (2017) explained, that every player in a game had goals they
wanted to achieve.
Moreover, humans are known to alter their behavior in response to changes in
their environment, whether social or physical (Lee, 2008). As a result, the game theory
had implications for the outcomes of decisions that depended on the behavior of multiple
decision makers, although difficult to predict and required highly adaptive decision-
making strategies (Blumentritt et al., 2012). The findings aligned with Schlepphorst and
Moog’s (2014) suggestion that succession had multiple stages which began as a pre-
succession or early introduction into the family business.
The analysis inferred the strategic plan used by each incumbent provided the
rationale by outlining both family and business priorities set by the previous generation.
In retrospect, the participants saw the value of joining the family business based on those
strategies. Furthermore, the findings were consistent with Vega-Redondo’s (1996)
confirmation that the proliferation of successful strategies might be through conscious
human action instead of automatic birth and death processes.
Theme 4: The Strategies
In game theory, strategies referred to any course of action available to a player
(Blumentritt et al., 2012). There was a vast number of strategies available to a player in a
game, but Blumentritt et al. proposed a player should assume that all participants were
aware of the strategies available to them. Based on this knowledge, the outcomes of the
games tend to vary depending on the choices a player had made.
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According to Osborne (2003), game theory did not assume that players were
rational. For example, in case study one, participant A, the daughter showed no interest in
the incentives provided by the family business in this non-cooperative game. Therefore,
the incumbent might have considered her decision as nonrational. Based upon participant
A’s self-interest, she defected from the game, and the strategy was now dominant.
Therefore, according to Ott (2013), it did not matter whether a player was rational or not.
However, Ott (2013) argued that strategies in game theory conflicted with the use
of strategic management. Allio’s (2015) contention was that game theory did not work
since business management involved many variables. Nowak and Sigmund (2004)
observed that successful strategies developed through inheritance, copied through
imitation or were acquired knowledge gained by learning.
From the study, the participants gave insight into strategic development they
received from life experiences. The findings determined that, during the successor’s
formative years, the incumbent made his or her intention known. Nowak and Sigmund
(2004) described this characterization as a straightforward game of evolution. Weibull
(1997) defined an evolutionary game as being a two-person game, which offered two
strategies with few possible outcomes. Evolutionary game theory refers to how the social
state changes as players change their strategies over time (Lahkar, 2012).
The strategies applied using game theory were an essential part of making a game
simultaneously solvable and meaningful (Colman, 2013). The strategies available in
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game theory are pure equilibrium, mixed, or dominant. The strategies vary according to
the type of game.
A probabilistic mixture of two strategies, such as the hide-and-seek game by two
players, described a mixed strategy (Bonau, 2017). Fudenberg and Levine (2016)
described dominant strategies as a single game played once, but Tavares, de Vargas
Mores, and Tomazzoni (2015) considered a strictly dominant strategy generated the most
significant gains for the player, which was independent of what another player might do.
However, a pure or Nash equilibrium meant one player might not be better off, provided
that another player not change his or her strategies (Schlag & Vida, 2014).
The results from the study could infer a Nash equilibrium since the potential
successor knew what strategies were available from the information given by the
incumbent about succession. The pure equilibrium benefited all parties involved in the
succession process, leaving no surprises. According to the research, the three case studies
indicated a two-person game, using the strategies as follows:
Table 3
Emergent Strategies: Frequency Mentioned by Participants
Strategies PT A PT B PT C PT D Total
Family governance 12 2 8 6 29
Family name recognition 9 1 15 12 37
Family legacy 13 5 7 7 32
Incumbent’s intent 6 3 8 2 19
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Knowledge and skills 9 2 6 4 21
Education and training 6 4 3 4 17
Motivation 9 1 8 2 20
Loyalty 5 0 6 3 14
Legal and professional services 5 2 3 4 14
Table 3 represents the phrases most frequently used about succession strategies
from a combination of interview transcripts and documents from participants into NVivo
12. The NVivo search tool was used to search and integrate text, coding, and elements,
such as family, governance, and other logical relationships to establish patterns. Although
the qualitative software was not necessary for valid and reliable research, Auld et al.
(2007) suggested that analytic processes that involved NVivo software improved the
efficiency of the analysis to provide greater proficiency.
From the findings, the strategic influence to ensure the business continuing from
one generation to the next was related to a single activity or repeated activities. However,
as has been pointed out in the literature, it was necessary to have effective control. The
study identified that from the family-owned funeral businesses examined, business
strategies revolved around the incumbent.
The study sought to show that decisions the incumbent made placed less
importance on economic goals and more significance on social and family intentions. A
family legacy had been discussed in the previous literature as an influential driver of
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decision making and behaviors within family businesses, resulting in noneconomic goals
(Hammond et al., 2016). The findings included the following assumptions: that the
legacy of the business could inhibit creativity as the incumbent preserved family wealth
as opposed to taking risks; and the potential successor might have determined there be no
other available choices. The literature showed evidence which supported that family
business owners tend to make strategic decisions based on their biological legacy
(Gersick, Gersick, Hampton, & Lansberg, 1997).
Although each case study succeeded beyond the second generation, the results of
the study indicated case study one and case study three family-owned funeral businesses
remained small, showing no indication there was growth potential in family management.
However, case study two’s business had indeed grown. Cerdan and Hernández (2013)
suggested that family businesses might prefer to remain manageable and small enough
for the family existence to have meaning, although it could be less competitive.
Theme 5: The Payoff/Reward
The dynamics of the family, the business, and ownership change the nature of
family business over time (Lansberg & Gersick, 2015). Results from the study indicated
family-owned funeral businesses pursued a lifestyle rather than a revenue growth
structure. From the findings, the three case studies implied a high payoff for the potential
successor in the case studies that involved psychological, emotional, social benefits,
which included social status in the community and a decent lifestyle.
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In strategic thinking, only the payoffs mattered, not by whom they were provided
(Nowak & Sigmund, 2004). In other words, if the funeral home owners wanted to
transition the business to the successor, both players needed to cooperate, with each
player receiving a reward for doing so. According to the findings, each player followed
his strategy, which produced an outcome resulting in equilibrium no matter what strategy
the other player used.
For example, the payoff for the case study one (A), who planned to retire within
the next two years, was the fifth generation having to buy him out of business. Secondly,
case study two (C) had retired, and his children rewarded him with a buy-out of the
family business. Both incumbents had an exit strategy of selling the business to the next
generation. DeTienne and Chirico (2013) claimed this type of strategy was most common
among family-owned businesses.
Another incentive for the successor was to perpetuate the family legacy and the
socioeconomic wealth of the family (Hammond et al., 2016). The family-owned funeral
business provided stability over the course of generations; therefore, each successor had a
sense of obligation and emotional attachment towards the family and business. Further
examination based on this study may give insight relative to a successor’s obligation and
the desire to commit to the family business, which could be used to provide a broader
understanding of family business strategic processes and outcomes.
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Theme 6: The Outcome
The family-owned funeral business succession brought about challenges for each
case study involved in the research. The outcomes in family business succession relative
to successful strategies revealed family values, family involvement in business, balancing
the needs of the family and the business system. Stafford and Tews (2009) claimed
individuals who cannot distinguish between work and family environments experience
adverse outcomes.
The case studies’ scenarios seem to relate to the dynamics of their strategies about
each generation’s succession. The family values, tradition, and culture, along with
work/family demands, had some effect on family relationships and rewards. In the
findings, a possible outcome for Participant A was survival of the fittest, which he
acknowledged when he worked for his grandfather and father.
Once his grandfather died at age 95, then it became a family conflict among his
siblings as to who would ultimately run the business. Participant A eventually had to buy
out each sibling to keep the business within the family, which affected the outcome of the
family’s relationship. Although the family-owned funeral business succeeded into its fifth
generation, the conflict created an imbalance in the family and business system.
In the case of Participant B from case study one and Participant C from the
second case study, as stated in their conversations, each had to make a choice during the
later years of adulthood to finally join the family business. Furthermore, this was not the
initial desire of either participant. However, the individuals better understood the
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circumstances in which they found themselves and the challenges that lay ahead as they
transitioned into the family business. In the end, the family legacy became important
because of the realization of the incumbent’s mortality.
Applications to Professional Practice
Although human ideas, perceptions, knowledge, and preferences shape reality,
Birner (2015) suggested these characteristics facilitate the future of social interactions.
Kotlar and De Massis (2013) argued inherited social interactions tend to be more
effective than professional social interactions in managing objectives toward the
formation of collective commitment that aligns family goals. According to Birner, trying
to understand and shape reality was most often described in game-theoretical terms.
The flexibility of game theory allowed for the testing of various involved
strategies by helping to explain the success experienced in the cases examined and laying
a foundation to improve practice. Information was available to help make those strategic
decisions, whereas a participant, in this case, the incumbent, needed to decide the future
of his or her business. Birner (2015) concluded that strategies at our disposal maximize
the chance of survival.
Social reality required the application of knowledge; therefore, knowledge was
essential for the survival of the family business (Berger & Luckmann, 1991). From the
study, the family-owned funeral business had a specific knowledge considered a leading
strategic advantage. Each participant had acquired the skills and ability to succeed to the
next generation.
137
Cabrera-Suárez, De Saá-Pérez, and García-Almeida (2001) argued that
knowledge transfer in the succession process was critical in the development of the
ability to maintain a competitive advantage in family businesses. The findings did
indicate that early training for the successor during their formative years was not only a
critical component but proved to be an effective strategic approach for the case studies.
The application of family governance, apprenticeship, and a quality relationship with
family members created the environment necessary to transfer the business.
Implications for Social Change
The findings of the study indicated the influence of family business ownership,
relationships, traditions, and family values affect intergenerational succession within the
funeral business. Since the literature claimed that family businesses made up 80% of
companies globally, and employ 60% of the U.S., Carr and Sequeira (2007) argued that
business ownership had an impact on future generations. Tetrault Sirsly and Sur (2013)
proposed that differences in ownership structure affect strategies related to sustainability
efforts for businesses.
Therefore, having identified successful strategies provided by these funeral home
owners who had successfully transitioned might help sustain failing businesses within the
industry. The incumbents made a note of challenges which affected their small business
funeral home succession. However, the challenges provided an opportunity for social
change because overcoming those challenges enhanced the business owner’s ability to
develop, plan, and implement strategic planning to transition their family-owned business
138
to the next generation. The impact of the challenges each incumbent faced provided the
future generation with an ownership structure that included governance, commitment,
and family legacy.
What proved to be socially significant was the incumbents’ decision and actions
based on his or her intentions and how the potential successor perceived them. As a
decision maker, the incumbent might have preferences regarding consequences that
affected a successor and therefore choose their actions with the goal of improving or
reducing the well-being of the successor (Lee, 2008). Inherently, as Carr and Sequeira
(2007) suggested, it might be the attitudes, behavior, and intent concerning how the
incumbents interacted with others, possible individual life choices, and how they decided
what lifestyles and roles they assumed that could influence the motivation of their
potential successor.
The literature implied early socialization by the incumbent was necessary as it
played a vital role for the potential successor (Schröder & Schmitt-Rodermund, 2013).
Camerer (2003) argued that children developed cultural standards through oral
socialization. During the interview process, early socialization, as mentioned by the
participants, had an impact which resulted in a positive relationship between the
incumbent and successor. According to Hammond et al. (2016), the decision-making
process of a parent as an owner and manager of family-owned businesses could influence
their children with their intention to and preference for keeping the family legacy.
139
Although the findings indicated that each incumbent had different motivations for
transitioning their businesses, fundamentally, none of them deviated from the chosen
strategy. As a result, each incumbent provided their families with direction, business
goals and objectives, values and governance, from which the business built over
generations, as they provided an economic lifeline for the next generation. Hopefully, the
results of this study will contribute to social change regarding strategies by identifying
essential components that influenced family-owned businesses’ successful strategies via
empirical results.
Recommendations for Action
Succession represents a significant challenge in any family business. Family
business succession has a profound effect, not just on the owners, but also the family and
other stakeholders involved in the funeral business. A recommendation would be to
examine further how different needs and expectations across various stakeholders, such
as the incumbent, successors, family, and nonfamily members, are associated with the
fundamental elements of effective intergenerational succession (Bozer et al., 2017).
Funeral home owners represent 60% of the private industry are eligible for
retirement by 2020, which could affect future generations (NFDA, 2017). In conducting
the research, it became clear that legacy was vital to the family and the community. I
would recommend, from a long-term strategic perspective and because of identity and
family reputation, there should be a focus on the relationship, which includes attitudes,
behavior, and governance, to help establish a commitment with the next generation.
140
Most often issues such as ownership, business management, governance, and
succession, coupled with family history, present challenges among family members
(Joshi, Dixit, Sinha, & Shukla, 2018). The research revealed there needed to be a balance
between family and the business because the two systems were not always on the same
wavelength. From the research, family business owners indicated family problems from
previous generations to include business finances, unforeseen circumstances such as the
death of the owner, or the incumbent refusing to relinquish the business to the successor.
Another recommendation is that future researchers seek to apply different game
theory concepts and other theories to examine intergenerational succession to develop the
best strategies and actions for both the incumbent and their potential successors. The
findings of this study offered small-business funeral homeowners the opportunity to
consider early succession planning to increase the probability of generational transition
success. Sharma and Irving (2005) suggested family members that commit to the
business are more likely to pursue a career in the family business, participate in a
leadership role, and find satisfaction with the succession process. Finally, as the
researcher, disseminate the results of this study to the research participants via email and
funeral industry colleagues through effective and appropriate platforms such as lectures,
conferences, business journals, and training seminars.
141
Recommendations for Further Research
Despite sample size and a variety of measures taken to ensure saturation and the
validity of the study, there were several limitations associated with the study that might
need addressing in future research. Although the case study approach provided rich
details, the first limitation was the recruitment of participants, which was critical to the
study. I assumed that recruiting participants using existing funeral service association
networks would result in a larger pool of participants, but in fact, this was not the case.
The goal was to recruit five to seven case studies in the process. Having only
three case studies could affect the interpretation of the results. The sample size might be
considered negligible and may not be generalizable to a broader population. However, the
advantage of having three case studies was that it provided a buffer against observer bias
(Voss, Tsikriktsis, & Frohlich, 2002).
Fusch and Ness (2015) agreed that data saturation was not about the numbers, but
rather the depth of information received. However, Bernard (2012) suggested the
researcher used what he or she could obtain. Thompson et al. (2006) recommended
different recruitment strategies should be implemented to reach different segments of the
population of interest.
Secondly, the sample of family-owned funeral businesses was geographically
limited. For future research, I would also note the need to address accessibility because
few options were available for data collection since interviews were difficult to schedule.
142
Another recommendation was to consider other study designs since case studies in social
sciences were stereotyped as providing a weak structure of generalization (Yin, 2014).
The characterizations of the study considered only the incumbent and the
successor. The sampling did not include interviews with other family members such as
siblings or other stakeholders who may be involved in the business. Future studies might
need to consider data from other funeral business owners that failed the succession
process to identify the necessary strategies.
Despite the need for further methodical and validated studies, family businesses
should be encouraged to devote sufficient resources and consideration towards succession
to promote long-term survival. For example, if there is a change in the relationship
between the incumbent’s and successor, this may be a result of either deciding to realign
his or her identities and lifestyles. Alternatively, from a post-succession aspect, could this
affect the incumbent’s relationships with family and nonfamily members may require
further examination.
The literature had shown game theory as questionable in providing reliable results
in the application of decision-making in practical settings because human behavior
deviated from predictions of the traditional game theory (Bonau, 2017). Finally, future
research might provide an opportunity to explore game theory by investigating the
incentive for potential successors relating to the decision-making related to strategic
outcomes as well as determining how game theory could be used to study strategic
interactions which play a fundamental role in social science. The findings did encourage
143
future research and help to contextualize the topic for any potential improvements for
successful strategies relative to family-owned funeral business intergenerational
succession.
Reflections
The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore successful
strategies family-owned funeral business owners use to succeed to the next generation.
The Doctor of Business Administration doctoral journey was the ultimate challenge of
my academic life. This journey required discipline and good ethics. As a veteran, having
known what it meant to be disciplined and faced many challenges, the doctoral journey
required a level of discipline necessary for commitment to the research, to mitigate biases
and preconceived notions.
Podsakoff, MacKenzie, and Podsakoff (2012) argued that responses that the
researcher applied across various patterns might have similarities in item structure or
wording, inducing similar responses that could create a level of method biases. Method
biases could affect reliability and validity. Podsakoff et al. suggested controlling biases
by obtaining measures from different sources. As a novice researcher, the criterion (the
participant) provided measurements, as well as secondary sources, such as family
business historical documentation and artifacts.
Following the Belmont Report (1979) protocols and other techniques
recommended by various scholars helped to mitigate bias and improve validity. Those
techniques included the understanding that validity has three categories: (a) criterion-
144
related, (b) content and (c) construct validity, (Mohamad, Sulaiman, Sern, & Salleh,
2015). Content validity provided a means for measuring how well the questions
represented the possible questions relating to the central research question.
The examination of the information received from the participants about the topic
needed to be relative to the specific characteristics regarding successful strategies. As the
interview process began, it was essential to be aware of personal experiences.
Furthermore, the planning process allowed for evaluation of study expectations, which
was necessary for recognizing personal bias during the research.
Utilizing the appropriate analysis for the study required detail and structure. A
qualitative content analysis provided the research method with the subjective
interpretation of the content of text data by a systematic classification process of coding,
identifying themes or patterns (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). An essential factor in the data
collection process was to record and detail responses and direct observations as they
occurred instead of waiting until later.
Although an understanding of the data collection would come later, it was critical
to capture everything said during the data collection process, not knowing what would be
essential to the study. Bengtsson (2016) suggested that having preconceived knowledge
of the subject had its advantages because this could help to minimize bias as long as it
does not affect the participants or the interpretation of the results. However, member
checking by the participants was essential to ensure their intended meanings (Lincoln &
Guba, 1985).
145
Overall, the journey was worth all the challenges that I incurred while in the
doctoral program. The excellent resources provided by the University during this doctoral
journey allowed my ability to reach this milestone. Overall, the completion of the
doctoral program had provided the necessary credentials for my being a competent leader
in the field of business and management.
Conclusion
This research study had offered a broad reflection on the six key themes which
emerged from the data collected. The intergenerational strategies derived from the case
studies to answer the research question suggested there were several underlying patterns
which influenced the succession of the family-owned funeral businesses. The findings
evoked a pattern which was consistent with research conducted by Miller et al. (2003)
indicating how important it was to maintain the family legacy and to ensure control of the
business. Other strategic influences included family dynamics, which played a role in the
successful strategies of the three case studies.
The incumbents realized the value of strategies that helped create their family
legacy was an advantage in succeeding the business from one generation to the next. The
family legacy continued to be a source of pride and promoted loyalty. The family
business was instrumental in maintaining family togetherness as it provided value,
culture, and future goals not only for the family but for their community. Some context
influences revealed in the study included mentoring, education, and development as a
146
probability for increasing intergenerational succession for the family-owned funeral
business.
Each incumbent demonstrated leadership characteristics such as professionalism,
experience, and discipline. According to Miller (2003), professional and educational
experience exhibited in the management of the family business most often was an
influence on the successor. The case studies presented an existing pattern whereas the
incumbent played an influential role as the successor eventually decided on his or her
career in the funeral industry.
Although the study addressed occasions when a successor joined the business in
later adult years, the findings indicated this did not impact the relationship between the
incumbent and the successor nor did it affect the strategy to succeed. The findings
suggested that, although the strategies varied among funeral business owners, the results
could be useful in understanding the relationship between the incumbent and the
successor. Ultimately, the family values, which included responsibility, respect, and
commitment, perhaps influenced the decision of the successor to join later in life.
Sharma et al. (2003) proposed that an incumbent’s perception of the business and
family relationships differ significantly from those of successors. However, based on the
results, it was clear that each family that had succeeded to the next generation noted
having a positive succession experience. Family business succession impacts not only the
owners but families and their employees who depend on these businesses for their
livelihood, which inevitably would create a host of implications for society.
147
The three cases studied focused on successful strategies rather than business
failures, which was necessary to improve business practices for family-owned funeral
businesses who wanted to succeed to the next generation. Qualitative research was found
useful for this study; however, further research might be necessary for this area to
establish a consistent methodology for family-owned funeral business succession
processes. Perhaps most importantly, the study captured the stories of these remarkable
family businesses by identifying common characteristics that may be useful for other
business owners and practitioners facing intergenerational succession challenges. The
unique nature of the funeral business owner, moreover, the family businesses they
manage, could always present challenges for broad generalizations, but the stories might
be beneficial by providing ideas to promote theory testing and improve business practices
for future generations.
148
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Appendix A: Interview Protocol
Sustaining a Family Business Beyond the Second Generation
Purpose: To obtain information about successful strategies from family-owned funeral
business owners that have transitioned their businesses to the next generation.
Introduction
Welcome Script: Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview.
You are one of 5 principals from the North/Southeastern
region of the United States selected to provide information on
the subject being discussed today. In this interview, the focus
will be on identifying successful strategies regarding your
family-owned business from one generation to the next.
I will describe the study, as well as your rights as a participant.
Please feel free to ask me questions, request clarification, or
request me to repeat information as I discuss the study and
your rights as the participant.
Your answers will be not be associated with your name unless
you clearly indicate your agree to have me use your name.
Each participant will be given an identification number on the
interviewer’s sheet. You will be audio recorded. All
information will be confidential and kept password encrypted
on my laptop.
Interview Code# Interviewer:
Location:
Date Length in minutes:__________
Age:
Education level:
Profession:
Family status:
205
Direct Observations:
Disposition
Gestures, eye contact, non-
verbal signals
Atmosphere
Interaction during interview
Three main points made during
discussion
Notes:
Interview Questions
Q1. How many years have you
served as the business owner?
Q2. How would you define
successful?
Q3. What succession planning
strategies do you currently have
in place?
Q4. What are some of the
influences used to get family
support for a long-term vision?
Q5. What are some obstacles
you have faced in implementing
the succession strategies?
206
Q6. How did your family
address the obstacles related to
succession planning?
Q7. How do you measure your
succession results to determine
that the strategies were
successful?
Q8. What are some additional
fundamental issues about your
planning, implementation, and
improvement strategies for
succession would you like to
discuss?
Conclusion
Review and Summarize major
factors from the discussion.
Ask participant to verify
responses.
Script: Thank you for taking the time out to participate in this
interview discussion today. I will be interviewing a number of
other funeral home business owners throughout the region to
identify successful strategies regarding succession to the next
generation.
My goal is to add to the body of knowledge concerning the
subject and hopefully these strategies will be beneficial to
207
Ask interviewee
any questions from interviewer
regarding the process
other funeral homes businesses for generations to come.
There may be a need to ask a few follow-up questions from
our interview. I will need to verify our discussion and to
ensure confirmation of the answers you have provided. With
your permission, I will need another few minutes of your time
when you have availability.
Question:
Response:
Ensure all paperwork is signed, give copies to interviewee
(recording agreement/confidentiality statement)
Try to obtain a second interview if possible for member
checking. Let participate know it will not be a long interview,
just to confirm answers.
Reiterate the confidentiality
agreement
Make certain have contact
information for follow-up
Remind interviewee that he or
she will receive a transcript of
interview process
208
Follow-up Questions
Q1.
Q2.
Q3.